Salazar's Revenge: An Ilvermorny Mystery
by PBO
Summary: An 8-part mystery starring four young wizarding students battling the spirits of villainous witches and wizards they accidentally unleash from Chocolate Frog Cards. Part 1 of the Wizarding School Mystery series.
1. On a Dark, Stormy Night

A/N: We hope you enjoy this new fic we've been working on for quite some time now! We think it'll be a good read while getting ready to go trick-or-treating or partying tonight. Happy Halloween, everyone!

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On a dark, stormy night...

The chilly Autumn wind blew through colorful leaves and carried them to wherever it was headed. The streets were lit up by smiling pumpkins, dancing skeletons, and other Halloween decorations. The sound of children's laughter, crinkling of candy wrappers, and the voices of parents could be heard in neighborhoods all across Massachusetts for the night.

A little girl dressed as Tinkerbell walked up to a neighbor's door, accompanied by her friends in costumes ranging from witches to ghouls to goblins.

Ding-dong. The little Tinkerbell rang the doorbell and an eerie silence followed. The small children looked to one another, confused and frightened by the lack of a response.

"Rargh!" roared the neighbor from inside, opening the door to reveal it was a middle-aged man dressed as the 1985 version of Teen Wolf, costume complete with varsity jacket, werewolf makeup and sunglasses. "What do you say?!"

"Trick-or-treat!" said the delighted children, giggling as their neighbor filled their pumpkin pails with lollipops, hard candies, and fun size chocolate bars.

"Happy Halloween, kids," said their not-so-scary werewolf neighbor.

This was the type of good, wholesome fun that hundreds of thousands of No-Majs were having on this All Hallows' Eve. Unbeknownst to them, something mysterious and not altogether normal was lurking in the woods of Mount Greylock. Shrouded in a hazy mist away from the eyes of an unsuspecting No-Maj population was the elusive Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The majority of the Ilvermorny student body was vacationing at home for this Halloween, spending some well-deserved time off with friends and family. A certain group of students, however, were taking this opportunity to do what they do best—cause trouble.

The interior of the Ilvermorny school was filled with an atmospheric horror theme: small pumpkin string lights and plastic skeletons adorned the dimly lit halls. Mock cauldrons were placed in front of most classrooms, enchanted with a steam charm and bubbling sound effects. The halls were pretty empty this evening, but one student was on her way to meet up with some friends.

This was Nina Blake, 14. She had tawny skin and her signature jet-black hair was fashioned in a long braid in commemoration of her Quechua roots. She was a proud member of the Thunderbird house but tonight, she was dressed as a Gryffindor—Harry Potter, to be exact—complete with a lightning bolt-shaped scar she had drawn on her forehead with mascara and a Hedwig backpack.

Nina moved forward on her path. For some reason, she felt that the halls looked more intimidating than usual. While walking, she spotted Jason Kwon, a 16-year-old Wampus, talking away on his phone.

Normally, you could see that he had fair skin, dark hair and a cherubic face, but his features were currently obscured by his Merlin costume: an oversized indigo robe, a pointed hat, and a long, white beard.

"My pleasure," she overheard him say with his characteristic Australian accent.

"Jason," called Nina.

"I'll talk to you later," said Jason, finishing up his phone conversation before hanging up. "Hey, Nina. You look… appropriately wizardy."

"Thank you, I try," she replied. "Now let's find scaredy-cat Chris."

Jason followed after Nina as she continued down the hall until they heard whimpers from up ahead. They followed the sound, eventually finding a curly-haired boy they recognized cowering on the floor. It was their friend Chris Nieves, 15, a somewhat dorky Horned Serpent.

"What are you doing here, Chris?" asked Nina.

"I'm hiding because I hate Halloween," huffed Chris. "Why do people like to get scared anyway?"

Nina and Jason chuckled at Chris, finding the timid boy's frustration funny.

"I forgot to introduce myself," said Nina, clearing her throat. "Some people call me the boy who lived, but you may call me Harry Potter. Who might you be?"

"I'm Vivi," replied Chris, playing along. "The enigmatic black mage from Final Fantasy IX!"

Chris waved his wooden staff confidently. He was wearing a large, tan pointy hat that flopped down near the end. He had on a blue jacket with a turned-up collar, and green and white striped pants with brown boots that resembled clown shoes.

"And where's Erin?" asked Jason.

They could hear a chainsaw revving up from behind them. The sound grew louder and louder until it was deafening. A figure obscured by darkness ran towards Nina, Jason and Chris, who were now all paralyzed in fear. The closer the assailant got, though, the calmer Jason and Nina became.

"Surprise, bitches," laughed the chainsaw-wielding girl as she approached her friends.

This was Erin Harris, a 14-year-old Thunderbird and Nina's best friend. Blessed with beautiful dark-brown skin, Erin was the type who never took anything too seriously, having an irreverent sense of humor that made her quite popular with her classmates.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?!" blurted out Chris, feeling his heart beating out of his chest.

"Isn't it obvious?" replied Erin, flailing her chainsaw around. She was wearing a schoolgirl costume, sporting fake blood on her face and blouse. "I'm Zoe Benson, the next Supreme. Like from American Horror Story."

"That show peaked years ago," said Jason. "But at least you picked the best season."

"Thank you, Jason," smirked Erin. "If there were a zombie apocalypse, I would consider saving you first."

"Speaking of witchcraft," said Jason. "Did you guys forget the memo? I thought we were dressing up as famous wizards from my Chocolate Frog Cards, which is why I'm the legendary Merlin."

Jason held the Merlin card up, twirling around to show off his costume. Nina stepped up to Jason.

"Oh ho ho," said Nina defiantly with an embarrassing attempt at a British accent. "But that's where I've gotcha, me ol' chap—Harry Potter IS on a Chocolate Frog Card!"

Jason manically fumbled through his cards to verify this claim.

"I guess you're right," he said, sulking as he shoved his deck of cards into his pocket. "I was talking to Erin and Chris, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah," said Erin dismissively before turning to Nina. "Now where were you planning on taking us again?"

"Oh, right," said Nina. "Follow me."

The four students made their way to the school entrance, pushing open the extravagant Victorian double doors.

"Careful," warned Chris.

"What do we have to be careful for?" asked Nina. "Professor Bennett loves us. Watch and learn."

Nina led the pack as they confronted Professor Tai Bennett, an olive-skinned man of Maori descent who taught Potions class. He was imposing in size but loved by many of the students for his kind demeanor.

"If it isn't the Sacred Quartet," joked Professor Bennett.

"Ooh," said Erin. "So you've heard our nickname. Kinda catchy, huh? We sound like superheroes or something."

Professor Bennett shook his head, trying his best not to laugh. These four were always up to something.

"Why aren't you kids with your families?" he inquired.

"We have no lives, sir," said Nina as her friends solemnly nodded.

"You'd be doing us a big favor," added Jason. "Just for tonight?"

The Professor rolled his eyes, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face.

"Alright," he said, feigning defeat. "But please don't do anything... inappropriate."

"Inappropriate?" said Erin innocently. "I... I'm afraid I don't even know the meaning of the word."

Professor Bennet allowed them through. The four students walked past the marble statues of Ilvermorny's founders, Isolt Sayre and James Steward, which flanked the entrance. Chris felt an impulse to look back at the statues.

"Is it just me," said Chris. "Or do the statues look… alive?"

"You're just being paranoid," chuckled Nina.

The granite Ilvermorny castle was looking more sinister than they remembered under the pouring rain. High above them, there was a waxing crescent moon casting it's light down on the world.

The four students lumbered through the mud and rain to the infamous snakewood tree in the courtyard. It had twisty branches and leaves that draped over them like large lemon wedges. Nina stopped her friends before the tree.

"I..." said Nina, struggling to speak.

"What?" said Chris, visibly shaken. "What is it?!"

"I can feel my scar burning," she responded, rubbing her forehead.

Just then, a student dressed as Voldemort came rushing out of the bushes at full speed.

"Abracadabra!" yelled the pretend Voldemort.

After realizing what was happening, Chris began shaking his head judgmentally.

"Too soon," he sighed.

Nina did a secret handshake with "Voldemort," making Jason and Erin laugh at the ridiculousness of this scene.

"Thanks for that, Voldy," said Nina.

"Anytime, Potter," said pretend Voldemort. "Happy Halloween, guys. I'll be off taking over the world now."

Nina, Jason and Erin said their goodbyes while Chris just crossed his arms, irritated by all the shenanigans he'd been subjected to tonight.

"Where was I?" wondered Nina aloud, looking to the snakewood tree. "Oh, right. Hundreds of years ago, Isolt Sayre, one of Ilvermorny's founders, stole Salazar Slytherin's wand from her evil aunt."

"She brought it with her on the Mayflower to America so she could escape her aunt's wickedness," chimed in Chris with a clinical knowledge of the story. "But she was found anyway, and her aunt rendered the wand useless out of spite."

"That same wand was buried right where we're standing," said Nina. "And it grew into this snakewood tree."

She climbed the tree and broke off a twig. Jason, Erin and Chris all gasped, shocked by this gesture.

"What are you doing, Nina?" said Chris.

"We need this for our experiment," she replied as she got back down on solid ground. "Let's go to the library."

"Our costumes are all wet, though," complained Erin.

"I can cast _Ventus_ when we get inside," offered Nina.

"Oh, right," said Erin. "Alright. To the library we go!"

"Actually," offered Jason. "I know somewhere even better."

The four students were very careful as they tiptoed through the very dark library. Jason got to a shelf deep in a corner of the History of Magic section.

"Argentum impurus," he whispered.

The secret password made the bookcase spin open to allow them in. It was a study room the size of a small classroom.

"It pays to be at the top of my class," bragged Jason. "I know where all the secret studies are located."

Nina rolled her eyes as she and her three friends sat on the floor. She pulled out some scented candles and a Ouija board out of her Hedwig backpack, earning chiding laughter from Jason and Erin. Chris, on the other hand, was not so amused.

"For real, Nina?" said Erin, giggling at the hunk of wood her friend was holding. "That's the type of shit No-Majs believe in."

"They also believe in witches and look at us," said Nina. "Here comes the fun part."

"_Incendio_," said Erin.

A flame sprouted from her hazel, unicorn hair wand. She used it to light the candles, noticing they gave out a decadent Christmas cookie scent.

"This smells good," she commented. "But… it's not very Halloweeny."

"I got them on sale last year," said an embarrassed Nina. "Don't judge. Now, let's sit and hold the planchet."

Nina placed the twig she had broken off from the snakewood tree on the Ouija board. One by one, Jason, Erin and Chris placed their hands atop Nina's, holding onto the planchet together.

"Is there someone with us?" asked Nina. The four students could feel the planchet move on its own to the word "yes."

"This is a joke," said Chris, more as an affirmation than a question.

"Shh," said Erin. "This is fun. Um… are you alive?"

Nina, Jason and Chris looked at Erin as if she had three heads. To their surprise, the planchet moved to the word "yes."

"Alive?" said Jason, thinking aloud. "How are you alive?"

A look of horror spread across the four students faces as the planchet began to move erratically under their hands: P-O-S-S-E-S-S-I-O-N.

"Possession?" echoed Nina. "Does that mean you're... evil?"

The planchet started circling around, landing firmly between the words "yes" and "no."

"So that's what this is about?" asked Chris, shooting an accusatory look at Nina. "Don't say it."

"Are you..." continued Nina, allowing her words to echo through the dead silence. "Salazar Slytherin?"

At breakneck speed, the planchet shot up to the ceiling. The room began to shake violently, causing books to fall off the shelves.

"I'm done!" yelled Chris, dashing out of the room.

"Wait for me!" shouted Jason, sprinting after Chris.

"Come on, girl!" screamed Erin. "You know what happens to people like us in horror movies!"

"Fine!" said Nina. "But this is a fire hazard. _Aguamenti_!"

A stream of water sprayed from the end of Nina's dragon heartstring birch wand, extinguishing all the candles before she ran hand in hand with Erin.

The very second the four students left, the room became still. Strangely, mysteriously still. On the ground lay Jason's Chocolate Frog Cards, a green aura enveloping them. An ancient, disembodied voice weathered by time and experience began to hiss at the cards in an unintelligible language that sounded like… Parseltongue?

The Chocolate Frog Cards started to levitate, spinning around the room wildly until they jetted out of the library.

Tired from all the excitement of the evening, Nina made herself cozy in her bed. Just as her consciousness slipped, she felt the bed melt away underneath her, replaced by a hard plastic seat and cool air. She felt a lap bar settle snugly on her legs. She opened her eyes to find herself on what she could only describe as a dark ride like the ones at Disney World. At first, she was in complete darkness.

"Is this your first time here?" she heard someone say from the seat next to her.

"Yeah, this is all new to me," said Nina, trying but failing to see the source of the voice.

"Well, hang on," said the old man's voice. "Because it's a doozy."

Soft blue lights from the ceiling turned on, displaying the current surroundings: Nina was in a dark, slightly foggy forest. She heard owls and grasshoppers, feeling that the forest was generally alive but asleep. The cart slowly swerved to avoid hitting the trees and came to a cottage in a clearing. It was a quaint two-story cottage, a perfect place for a small family to spend a vacation.

When the cart arrived in the clearing, the lighting became warmer and more lively. Squirrels and birds were happily living their lives in the woods. As the cart neared the cottage, the door opened on its own and allowed them in. Not a single soul was inside but there was proof that people called this place home. There was a dinner table with eight chairs gathered around it, and a cauldron full of soup was boiling in the fireplace.

The cart headed for the staircase made of wooden log steps and entered the room upstairs. It was a bedroom. The cart continued moving, this time towards the large oval window at the end of the bedroom.

"Wait," said Nina, beginning to panic. "Why isn't it stopping? Why are we going there?"

Nina pulled at her restraint but it wasn't letting up. She screamed and shielded her face with her hands as the window shattered. The cart continued but made a slow descent to the ground.

"I'm okay," sighed Nina, relieved to be unhurt.

The shock of this event made her laugh nervously. She grew silent when the cart reached the ground because the sunny afternoon became a raging nightstorm. She wiped the rain off her face and saw a shadowy figure hiding behind the cottage run away into the woods. In front of her, Nina saw a swamp and felt the cart steer towards it, beginning to sink into the murky waters.

"We're gonna drown!" screamed Nina as she desperately scooped water out of the cart. "Help me!"

"I'm not going to drown," said the man in the seat next to her. "I'm already dead."

Nina finally looked at the man to see who it was: Merlin. He was a transparent figure, simply fazing through the cart to avoid drowning.

"I can't help you here," said Merlin. "Good luck!"

Nina continued pushing the water out of her cart and back into the swamp but it was no use. She futilely pulled at her lap bar as the water level rose to her neck. Trying to save one last breath before her head was completely submerged, the last thing she saw was the green, spectral face of Salazar Slytherin coming straight at her from the sky.

Nina screamed, propelling herself awake. Her mind brought her back to her room that she shared with Erin. It was decorated with fun pictures of previous trips and orange walls.

"Erin!" said Nina as she sat up in bed.

When she looked over to Erin's bed, she screamed. A pumpkin face with a jagged grin and deep set black eyes stared back at her. A closer look revealed that it was simply a cartoonish Halloween pumpkin sheet mask that Erin was wearing.

"Calm down," said Erin, peeling off the mask. "It's just skin care!"

"Forget about that," said Nina anxiously. "I had a terrible nightmare. I was in, like, this thing. A rollercoaster train or something and I was on one of those rides at Disney World. There was water and I was going to drown and before I drowned I saw a ghost's face!"

"Who?" asked Erin.

"Salazar Slytherin!" said Nina.

Erin gasped and what followed was an uncomfortable pause. Erin gathered up the courage to speak.

"It was just a dream, right?" she said. "It doesn't mean anything."

"I don't think this was just a dream," said Nina. "It felt like… a vision. I have a really bad feeling it has to do with that goddamn Ouija board."

"I told you we shouldn't have played with ghoulie ghoulies," said Erin, trying to make her friend laugh.

It didn't work. Nina was very much still traumatized by the whole ordeal. That was when it hit her.

"We forgot to say 'goodbye' on the board," said Nina.

Over in the Wampus chambers, Jason was fast asleep on his bed, still wearing his Merlin beard. He was alone for the night because his roommate was vacationing at home for Halloween. He could faintly hear an older man's voice.

"Huh?" asked Jason, rubbing his eyes as he rose from his pillow. As he lay his eyes on the source of the voice, he began to scream at the top of his lungs.

Thus marking the end of this Halloween night in Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Jason's voice could be heard from outside his window but it was so late at night that no one stirred awake.

From outside Ilvermorny castle, all looked well. Not a single soul inside was privy to the ghostly wisps floating outside around campus grounds, using the late night sky as their own kind of invisibility cloak...


	2. Death by Apple

Jason screamed in the face of the spectral figure floating just a few feet away, stopping to catch his breath.

"Who are you?" shouted Jason.

"I thought you of all people would know that," said the figure.

Jason looked down to the costume he was still wearing. He looked exactly like the ghost floating before him.

"I'm you," said Jason, bewilderment coloring his voice. "You're Merlin! How did you get here?"

"That doesn't matter right now," replied Merlin. "You didn't finish your little 'game' properly and it seems you and your friends have unleashed… something."

Jason held his head in his hands. The events from earlier came back to him and he realized his mistake.

"We forgot to say goodbye," said Jason.

"Precisely," said Merlin. "Now, I must request that you join me somewhere in secret."

Jason silently followed Merlin's transparent body, entranced as the ghost phased through the bedroom door. The nighttime darkness caused every room to blend together in Jason's sleep-deprived brain. Before he knew it, Merlin tapped a wall in a solitary hallway. The wall slid open to reveal a skinny pathway through a dark room.

"This is all I needed to show you," said Merlin.

"That's it?" asked Jason, tilting his head in confusion. He couldn't make out exactly what he was seeing—everything was just a blur of black and gray.

"I'll tell you more when all four of you are here," replied Merlin calmly. "I'll let you rest for now... and tell Nina I'd like to go on a rollercoaster next time."

Jason gasped awake, still wearing his Merlin beard. The morning sun cast its brilliant light inside the room, causing Jason to squint from the glare. He rose to his feet and closed the blinds.

Jason's eyes darted around the room to make sure he was really awake. The room he shared with his roommate was a mess of clothes and school supplies. The door creaked opened on its own and Jason screamed only to hear the door scream back.

"My God, Jason!" came a voice from behind the door. "What is wrong with you?"

The door swung open completely to reveal Jason's roommate, Adam Hansen, a fellow sixth year with surfer hair and chocolate-brown eyes. Jason had only imagined the door moved on its own.

"I'm so sorry," said Jason as his heart rate came back down. "I've just been very jumpy."

"I can see that," said Adam. "Anyway… are you going to the Wizard Card Collectors' Club meeting later today? I hear someone has rare limited editions."

"Of course I'll be there," said Jason, trying his best to sound like nothing was wrong.

Adam got his backpack from the floor and his phone which was charging on his bed, heading towards the door.

"I'm going to breakfast," said Adam. "You wanna come with?"

"No," replied Jason. "I'm gonna shake off that weird dream I just had."

"All right," said Adam. "I'll be off then."

Adam closed the door behind him. All Jason could do was look around his room, unable to shake the "ghost" he saw in the middle of the night. Instinctively, he texted Nina furiously.

The student body was bustling with energy this morning despite having eaten tons of Halloween candy just a few hours earlier. In place of their costumes were their school uniforms: blue and cranberry colored robes held together by a gold Gordian knot. During the breakfast period, Nina and friends carved their own little place in the hallway to talk amongst themselves.

"I had a dream," said Nina.

"So did I," said Erin. "There was this crazy-ass bitch screaming at me. Oh, wait, that was you."

"I'm serious," said Nina, rolling her eyes. "I was on this creepy amusement park ride. I couldn't stop it and it felt like I died."

"Did you see an old ghost with you on the ride?" asked Jason.

"No," said Nina. "Wait... I did. How did you know that?"

"It was Merlin," said Jason. "He told me that we botched the Ouija board experiment and all these, like, spirits were released."

"Of course something crazy like this happened," said Chris. "Well, I'm out."

Chris crossed his arms as he stormed away in a huff past his friends, completely fed up with the situation.

"Don't worry, guys," said Nina slyly. "I'll convince him."

Nina, Jason and Erin heard light footstops saunter over to them.

"Excuse me," said a very timid, young boy's voice. "Can you help me find my classes?"

It was a first year Pukwudgie, barely taller than Nina's shoulder. He had wavy, brown hair that brushed his eyebrows and rosy-red cheeks that made him look like a chipmunk. He was carrying a book that was almost too big for his little arms.

"Of course, I'll help you!" said Nina before turning to Jason. "We'll continue this conversation later."

Jason waved goodbye and went on his way. Nina took the book out of the boy's hands, noticing it was titled _Kevin Alister's Grimoire_ in squiggly handwriting with an assortment of Spider-Man stickers all over.

"You like Spider-Man, too?" said Nina. "Tom Holland is my favorite actor!"

"Who is that?" asked Kevin. "This is Spider-Man."

"So cute!" squealed Nina and Erin in unison before getting back to business.

"Erin, may you please hand me my grimoire?" said Nina.

Erin reached into Nina's Hedwig backpack to pull out a book titled _Nina Blake's Grimoire_—a black book with pink accents and stickers of Marvel's Avengers, Chibi Harry Potter, and Jade from Bratz: Genie Magic.

"Let's show you the map," said Nina.

Erin opened Nina's grimoire to a page where a scale model of campus grounds sprung up. Nina opened Kevin's grimoire to where his class schedule was located.

"You have Charms class," said Erin. "That's on the fourth floor."

As Erin said this, the scale model folded and unfolded unto itself like origami. Starting from the roof of the seventh floor, it opened up until it got to the fourth floor. Each room and hallway was labeled like a floor plan.

"Do you see here?" asked Nina, pointing at a room on the left at the end of the Charms hallway. "That's where your class is. We still have a couple minutes left, so let's take you there."

"Thank you for the help, guys," said Kevin, before shaking his head. "Uh, girls."

"Our pleasure," said Erin. She smiled as she closed the book shut on the paper castle, accompanying Nina and Kevin down the hall.

Meanwhile, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class was full of fifth year students seated behind long wooden desks designed to seat two people. Professor Marquise Harris—a tall, athletic black man—stood at the front.

"Good morning, class," he said. "Today we will be learning about the Banishing Charm. _Depulso!_"

A red blast erupted from his wand and propelled knight's armor into the wall, ending with a big clang as it collapsed into a pile of metal on the floor.

"As you can see," continued the professor. "It blasts opponents away from the caster. It's a defensive tool, so you use it to hit your opponent and run."

Chris looked down at the parchment sitting on his desk. It contained a moving illustration depicting a wizard casting the Banishing Charm on an unsuspecting target. Chris opened up his grimoire and placed the parchment inside, watching it magically attach itself to the spine with a golden glow.

"Does this spell work on non-corporeal beings like spirits, for example?" asked Chris after raising his hand.

"I'm afraid not," said Professor Harris. "There isn't much that any of us wizards can do to banish ghosts."

"Is there anything at all that can banish a ghost?" pried Chris.

This question gave the professor pause, making him think for a while before coming up with a response.

"You're really quizzing me on my research," chuckled Professor Harris as he violently hurled a book at Chris' head. Instinctively, the young Horned Serpent reacted by retaliating with his cedarwood wand.

"_Depulso!"_ bellowed Chris, sending the book flying off in the opposite direction.

"Good job," said Professor Harris, impressed by Chris' technique. "To answer your question, Mr. Nieves, something like a basilisk could petrify a ghost but nothing could ever truly banish one."

Chris shrunk in his desk, feeling a pit in his stomach. Professor Harris instructed the students to practice the spell with one another, magically rearranging the desks.

"Great job, Ms. Swanson," said Professor Harris to a student, before turning to another and saying, "your technique could use some work, Mr. Peters."

The end of the class drew near, and the students' desks went back to their original position. Professor Harris returned to the head of the classroom.

"That's all for today, class," he said. "You're dismissed… except for you, Mr. Nieves. I want to talk to you after class."

"Teacher's pet is in trouble!" chanted a small group of fellow Horned Serpents. Chris approached the front of the class as the other students poured out of the room.

"So, uh," started Professor Harris, standing to his feet. "Why were you so interested in this... spirit talk?"

Chris shifted around nervously, trying his best to keep his expression neutral.

"It's just an interesting topic," he countered. "It's not like I'm trying to do it myself or anything."

"I wasn't accusing you," responded Professor Harris. "But if you were having problems, you know you could tell me, right? It doesn't have anything to do with my daughter, does it?"

"Of course not," fibbed Chris. "Erin always tells us that she doesn't like dealing with ghosts, anyway."

Professor Harris took a moment, thinking about how Erin absolutely hated "ghoulie ghoulies," as she liked to call them.

"Good," said the professor. "Just so you know, I would've cast _Accio_ on the book if you didn't repel it. I don't want people thinking I just throw things at students. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you," said Chris, smiling nervously. His legs were trembling so hard that he stumbled out of the classroom.

In Potions class, the students were similarly getting dismissed. Jason inspected the parchment page for the day's lesson, the Erumpent Potion, which had a looped image of a cartoonish potion bottle bubbling until it exploded.

The students had already discarded their potions and the only one left was the one sitting on Professor Bennett's desk. The Potions classroom doubled as a club room for the Wizard Card Collector's club.

"So, who would like to go first?" said Professor Bennett in his smooth, Kiwi-accented voice. His legs were propped up on his table as he read an issue of the No-Maj magazine, Men's Health.

"Ooh, me!" said Adam. "I would like to trade Bertie Bott."

"Which card number is that?" asked Jason as he took a seat at the table.

"Sixty-nine," replied Adam with a mischievous little grin.

This got childish snickers from all the other boys in the room, including Professor Bennett.

"Good one," said a red-faced Jason fumbling through his pocket. "I… don't have that card. I don't have any of my cards, actually."

"Uh-oh," said Professor Bennett. "Do we have a thief in our midst?"

"Don't look at me," said Adam.

Jason wracked his brains for where his cards could have gone. Then he remembered that some of them flew away during the Ouija board game. He felt his phone vibrate.

"Let's meet up at the special place at midnight," read Nina's text. "We're going to see what this is about."

"I am so sorry," said Jason to Professor Bennett. "But I have to go. Something just came up."

"No worries," said Professor Bennett, not bothering to look up from his magazine. "Try to find your cards for next time."

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do," said Jason as he surreptitiously swiped the Erumpent Potion off of Professor Bennett's desk.

Night fell—the Witching Hour was officially here. Jason's eyes scanned his dark bedroom. In the bed across from him was Adam, sound asleep and snoring loudly. Jason removed his covers, still wearing his school robes. He grabbed his belongings and walked out the door.

He tiptoed through the dark halls, listening for anyone else roaming around. He walked up the spiral staircase until he reached the seventh floor. Not a sound was heard besides the tapping of four sets of footsteps on the shiny, granite floor. Jason found his friends in a hall adjacent to the Study of Ancient Runes classroom.

"You made it," said Nina.

Jason took a closer look at Nina and Erin, just realizing that they were dressed in their Quidditch gear with brooms in their hands. Erin was in the middle of eating a Cauldron Cake.

"How could I forget?" said Jason. "And, um, why are you guys dressed like that?"

"We might need to be airborne when we fight the spirit," reasoned Nina.

"And why are you not sharing?" complained Chris, pointing at Erin's cake.

"It's a light, midnight snack," said Erin, taking one last bite. "I'll get you one tomorrow."

Chris rolled his eyes at Erin and walked up to the wall when Merlin suddenly appeared before them.

"Hello, Merlin," said Jason awkwardly to break the silence. "I believe you've already met Nina."

"Yes, I have," said Merlin waving at the shy Nina. "And who are these two?"

"This is Chris," said Jason.

"Nice to meet you," said Chris.

Merlin went to shake Chris' hand. Chris did the same but his hand simply went through it. This sent a sharp chill down Chris' spine.

"Right," chuckled Merlin. "I'm always forgetting that."

"And this is Erin," said Jason.

"Are you the dead granddaddy that we summoned?" asked Erin, making Jason's eyes pop out of his head.

"No," replied the levelheaded ghost. "I'm Merlin. The 'dead granddaddy' you summoned would be Salazar Slytherin."

"Oh, shit," said Erin, feeling a pit in her stomach. "Sorry about that, Mr. Supreme Wizard, sir."

"I like your style," chuckled Merlin before turning to the others. "Well, if that's everyone, then do me a favor and touch this wall with your wand like this."

Merlin turned around, instructing Nina to poke specific spots on the wall until it slid open, revealing the narrow path to the dark room.

"Watch your step," he warned the four students.

"You said you knew all the secret places in Ilvermorny," said Nina, turning to Jason who looked astonished. "Did you know about this?"

"No," replied Jason. "It doesn't even make sense for it to be here. Then again, it is a magic school."

The room was completely empty and stretched for miles in every direction, the walls obscured by darkness. There was a granite floor path with a red rune in the center. The rune was shaped like the spokes of a bicycle wheel and they stretched out to the seven pads with stone tiles circling each.

"Over here on this pad is where you start," said Merlin. "It will lead you to your first target."

Nina, Jason, Erin and Chris stepped on the pad that Merlin indicated. It lit up from underneath them and they sank into it and out of Ilvermorny.

The world around them spun around wildly… and then everything was still. The four students fell onto the hard, rocky ground of a mountain. They picked themselves up when a scream penetrated the air.

"Did you hear that?" said Jason.

"Yeah," said Nina. "It sounded like it came from over there. Brooms at the ready."

"Got it," responded Erin.

Erin followed Nina's lead, the two girls mounting their own brooms.

"Come on, guys," said Nina to Jason and Chris.

"We're not actually going towards it, are we?" said Chris.

"Don't be such a wimp, Chris," said Erin, floating in the air. "Step up."

Jason and Chris looked to one another tentatively before mounting the brooms. Jason sat behind Nina on her broom and Chris sat on Erin's broom. Nina and Jason zipped into the fresh, open air.

"Hey!" shouted Chris. "Wait for us!"

Without warning, Erin catapulted into the air, following after Nina and Jason. All Chris could do was hold onto Erin for dear life, trying his hardest not to look down at the twenty feet difference between them and the thick forest beneath them.

Quickly, the two girls descended to the ground, arriving at a clearing. The nature in this area looked so vibrant, clearly existing before the advent of technology. Nina set her eyes on a small wooden cottage that came into view and then on what looked like a comatose woman on the dirt. This scene felt eerily familiar...

Jason and Erin dashed to help the woman who had jet black hair, rosy red lips, and white skin. Erin held her limp arm.

"She's so pale!" said Erin. "She must be sick."

"I think that's just what she looks like," said Jason.

Jason and Erin tried every healing spell they could think of, but this mysterious woman wouldn't wake up.

"It's no use," said Chris. "She's dead. We need to turn back."

"Wait," said Nina. "I feel like I've been here before."

Nina closed her eyes, feeling herself return onto that amusement park ride cart. She came back to her senses when she saw the shadowy figure hiding behind the cottage.

"This was my dream!" said Nina. "Someone's inside."

Nina poked her head in through a window and the others did the same. There was an old hag stirring a cauldron over the fireplace. The cauldron was filled to the brim with a multicolour concoction that emitted kaleidoscopic bubbles.

The old woman added the finishing touches: unicorn hair and rose petals. She ladeled some of the hot rainbow liquid into a potion vial and sipped from it. Her wrinkled face smoothed out and her graying hair became luxuriously black. She turned into the spitting image of the unconscious woman lying outside.

"She stole her face!" said Chris.

Chris' exclamation startled the formerly ugly woman. She threw an empty potion vial through the window at their heads. They ducked just in time.

"It's Malodora Grymm," said Jason. "She's a famous witch who covets beauty more than anything."

"Then let's make sure she doesn't have it," said Nina.

Nina ran to the cottage door and kicked it open. Malodora had just finished frantically filling potion vials with the Beautification Potion when Nina entered. Malodora dashed for the back door, and Nina aimed her wand at it.

"_Colloportus_!" shouted Nina, causing the back door to lock before Malodora could reach it. "_Lumos_!"

Nina flashed the wand light right into the fraudulent beauty's eyes, making her shield her face with her arms. This sudden attack made Malodora drop her potion vials to the ground, breaking on impact. Erin jumped in through the open window.

"You won't be needing this," said Erin as she whacked the cauldron with her broom, tipping it over and spilling the contents onto the floor.

"You insolent little children!" shouted Malodora. "None of you will live for much longer!"

Chris and Jason ran into the cottage after Nina. Malodora charged at the group.

"_Depulso_!" shouted Chris, wand aimed confidently.

Malodora was thrown back against the wall, finding herself disoriented. Jason reached into his pocket.

"Oh my god," he shrieked. "I forgot I had this!"

Without a second thought, Jason threw the Erumpent Potion he had poached from Professor Bennett earlier, watching in shock as Malodora combusted in a fiery blaze. A card fell out of the smoke where Malodora once stood. It was a Malodora Grymm Wizard Card that Jason quickly pocketed.

"One down," he said. " Six more to go."

"Let's get out of here," said Chris. "I already have cabin fever."

When the four stepped out of the cottage they saw a young man in regal attire holding the unconscious woman on the ground.

"Get away from her!" said Nina.

The man got startled and backed away. The woman on the ground groggily opened her eyes.

"She's awake!" said Erin.

"How are you feeling?" asked Nina while she helped her sit up. "Do you know this guy?"

The woman became more aware of her surroundings. She gasped at the man standing above her.

"I most definitely know him," she said. "He's the love of my life! He came here and saved me!"

"Actually, we saved—oof!" said Jason as Chris nudged him in the ribs.

"Forget it," said Chris. "We have to go."

They felt the ground under their feet go out as they floated up into the air. The room with the circular platform came into view and their feet planted onto the pad. Merlin floated over the path.

"So," said Merlin. "How did it go?"

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy," said Erin.

"Here she is," said Jason, holding up the Wizard Card with Malodora Grymm's portrait.

"Oh, Malodora," said Merlin. "I remember her. She was always so vain..."

Merlin's words felt as if they carried a certain weight to them.

"Merlin?" said Nina, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"It's getting very late," said Merlin. "You should all be on your way. Good job on capturing the first spirit."

The four students left the hub as the opening in the wall sealed shut behind them.

"So this is how it's going to be," said Chris ominously. "We're going to lie to everyone while we risk our lives every night."

"Yup!" said Erin cheerfully. "Sounds fun, right?"

"I'm exhausted," said Nina. "Let's all go to bed and talk about this some other time."

Nina and Erin said their goodbyes to the boys and the four of them headed to their respective dormitories. After sneaking back into their Thunderbird dorm room, Nina and Erin plopped onto their beds. Erin noticed Nina tossing and turning.

"Is something wrong, Nina?" asked Erin.

"I'm scared that I'm gonna have another nightmare," said Nina. "I know they can't hurt me, but it sure feels like they can."

"What you need is a white noise machine," said Erin.

She pulled out her phone and set it to relaxing nature sounds. She placed it on the bedside table drawer next to Nina.

"Let the peaceful sounds of the rainforest wash your thoughts away," said Erin, getting back to her own bed.

Nina thought she wouldn't be able to sleep with noise on in the background, but she began to relax. The sound of gentle wind blowing against treetops pushed her worrying thoughts out of her mind. She felt herself go deeper and deeper into sleep until she felt the wind she was hearing blowing through her hair.

Nina opened her eyes and found herself riding what looked like a thestral. However, it wasn't a real thestral. It was made of plastic and attached to a merry-go-round. Nina looked around and saw Erin riding the thestral directly next to her.

"This is fun, isn't it?" said Erin.

"It's very relaxing," said Nina.

This merry-go-round was situated on a river in the middle of a thicket of trees. Nina heard rushing water off in the distance and heard it approaching closer and closer. During one of the revolutions, she saw that she was headed for a steep waterfall. She braced for impact as it dropped to the lake below. Erin giggled.

"Again!" said Erin. "This is quite the thrill ride."

As she said this, her thestral turned into a large bird—a buzzard to be exact—with brown feathers and blood-red eyes. Erin screamed as it carried her into the sky.

"Erin!" shouted Nina, reaching for her friend.

Nina stayed stuck on the merry-go-round as Erin flew higher and higher. The merry-go-round began to sink into the clear waters threatening to drown Nina.

Nina woke up in a cold sweat. She thought it was sweat, but it smelled suspiciously like lake water. Nina knew the coming days were going to be a nightmare.


	3. A Tale of Two Ms

_November 2, 2019_

Nina jolted awake, finding herself in a cold sweat—or what she thought was sweat. It smelled suspiciously like lake water…

Nina got up out of bed, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes with her out of the Thunderbird common room and through the halls. She made her way to where the girls' lavatory was located, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her.

A fifth-year student whom Nina didn't recognize stepped out of the lavatory and was ready to leave when she gave a puzzled look at Nina who was dripping wet and looked crazy.

"Good morning," said Nina, flashing a passive-aggressive smile.

Nina stomped with squishy steps into the lavatory: a beautiful marble restroom with stalls separated by walls and sliding doors. A new stall expanded at the end of the restroom especially for Nina and she impatiently slammed her door shut after going in.

There was a toilet, a faucet, and a shower made of marble with gold detailing along with a mirrored medicine cabinet full of toiletries. Nina stepped into the shower, washed away the icky residue—and the tension from dying in her dream—from her body.

She returned to her dorm room significantly less stressed than when she left. Nina walked in to see Erin had already woken up, doing morning stretches while listening to "There You Go" by P!nk.

"It happened again," moaned Nina.

"Chris was being a pussy?" said Erin, gently removing her satin hair bonnet.

"No, I had a dream and—" said Nina.

Before Nina could tell Erin about her dream, she felt a heavy mass fall on her feet, making her and Erin scream.

"What the hell…?" yelled Nina until she regained her cool.

"It's just Sagwa," said Erin.

Nina looked down at the small, Siamese cat. Sagwa had a pink collar around her neck with a flower-shaped name tag attached. The cat purred as she slinked her chubby body around, rubbing her furry head against Nina's legs.

"How did she get here?" asked Nina. "Chris is gonna freak out when he sees her."

"I don't know," said Erin before turning to her Google Home Mini. "Hey, Google—pause."

The music stopped with Erin's command. Nina rolled her eyes playfully.

"It's like magic," said Nina in unison with Erin, quoting one of Erin's oft-used phrases.

"Oh," exclaimed Erin, suddenly remembering something. "I totally forgot we have a field trip to Salem today. I can't wait to see what No-Majs think of witches."

"We already know what they think," said Nina. "They think we look pretty great roasted over a fire."

Nina pulled out an assortment of differently sized combs and hair products from her bedside table drawer.

"We can talk about my dream, later, I guess," said Nina. "And we can take the furball back to Chris."

After they did their hair and dressed up in their school robes, Nina and Erin took the winding stairs down to the fifth floor just in time to see Chris leaving the Horned Serpent common room.

"Looking for this?" asked Erin with Sagwa swaddled in her arms.

"Sagwa!" said Chris, his face lit up with excitement. "I've been looking for her since last night."

Chris pet his cute cat adoringly, earning a light purr from her. Nina looked at the cat inquisitively.

"Keep an eye on her," said Nina as Erin handed Sagwa to Chris. "She could be some kind of evil spy or something."

"That only happens in Harry Potter movies," joked Erin.

"Oh, right," said Nina. "Are you and Jason gonna go on the field trip to Salem as well?"

"Yup," replied Chris. "It's gonna be… interesting."

Later on the bus ride to Salem, the students were all taking in the sights of their ride down the quaint streets with historic houses. Nina and Erin sat with their friend Duchess Thorburn, a fourth-year Thunderbird with a honey complexion and long, black hair in love locs.

"Not to be rude," said Duchess with her Trinidadian accent. "But you look kind of pale, Nina."

"Yeah, I know," groaned Nina. "I haven't been sleeping well the past couple of days."

"You have the Voodoo class with Professor Beauchamp on Wednesday, right?" asked Duchess. "I think she knows how to deal with that sort of thing."

"Ooh," said Erin. "We should go together. I hate not knowing anyone in a new class."

"That's why we're always together," giggled Nina.

At the front of the bus, Professor Elizabeth Cromwell, a raven-haired beauty of Wampanoag descent who teaches History of Magic, stood up. She turned to face the students, holding onto nearby seats to keep herself balanced.

"Settle down, everyone," said Professor Cromwell. "In a few moments, we'll have arrived in Salem. As you may know, this city is famous for killing witches, so please be on your best behavior."

Nina got her grimoire from her backpack and turned to the new page she added when she was still in the classroom. It had an illustration of a stereotypical witch with a pointy hat and broomstick flying over puritanical New England.

"Oh, come on," said Jason, sitting between Chris and his other friend Adam.

"They haven't done that in ages," said Adam.

"Listen to the professor, white boy," said Erin, making Adam chuckle nervously. "They may have stopped killing witches centuries ago, but they most definitely continued killing other people for the way they were born, and don't even get me started on enslavement."

Several students winced at this comment. They were clearly uncomfortable and not ready for this conversation.

"Erin," said Professor Harris, unhappy with his daughter's hostile tone.

"I said what I said," shrugged Erin.

"To be fair," said Chris. "Witches and wizards don't have the best track record either. Does Voldemort sound familiar to you?"

"And here we are," said Professor Cromwell.

The school bus pulled up against a sidewalk next to the bustling park in a line of school buses. Across the street from the park was an imposing bronze figure settled on a pedestal. It was the statue of Roger Conant, settler of Salem, situated in front of the Salem Witch Museum. All the students walked out of the bus one by one onto the sidewalk.

"Single-file line, everyone," said Professor Harris.

"Hey," said Chris as he approached the girls with Jason and Adam in tow. "Who invited your dad anyway, Erin?"

"I'm a chaperone," said Professor Harris. "So watch it."

He was standing much closer to them than they thought he was. Chris gulped nervously.

"Yes, sir," said Jason, giving Chris a disapproving look.

Erin poked at Professor Harris, trying her best to tickle her father to lighten up the mood.

"He's not like a regular chaperone," said Erin. "He's a cool chaperone."

"The coolest," said Nina with a cheeky smile.

Professors Cromwell and Harris led the students inside Witch City Mall, lined with small merchandise stores, restaurants, and a comic book store among other things. Normally, when the students went into the No-Maj world in their school robes, they would get weird looks, but in Salem everyone was dressed as their favorite witch or wizard, so they fit right in.

After that, they all went to a mall pizzeria with funky graffiti designs on its walls. Half the students sat on the long booth wall bench and the other half sat on chairs pulled up to their tables. Nina and Erin went to the table where Jason and Chris were seated. A large pan of hot pepperoni pizza with sizzling cheese and a fluffy crust was sitting on the table next to a side of crispy, curly fries. Nina and Erin settled themselves into metallic chairs across from Jason and Chris.

"The food's here," said Chris excitedly.

"These pizzas have the best crust," said Erin.

"Well," said Nina. "Now that we're all here, let me tell you guys about my dream."

Nina explained the whole nightmare to them, from the carousel of thestrals to Erin getting whisked away into the sky.

"That's how it ended?" said Erin, cracking up. "I was flown away by a stupid bird?"

"Shh," said Nina, afraid that Erin's laughing would disturb the other patrons. "Yes. I'm scared that something's going to happen to you during tonight's, uh, 'mission,' I guess you could call it."

"We just need to be prepared," said Jason. "And Erin should be fine. Describe the place your dream was in."

Nina went into detail about her dream's scenery, an island of magnificent beauty.

"It could be a lot of places," said Jason. "But to me it sounds like something from the Middle Ages in Ireland or something. I'll do research on which famous evil witch or wizard lived around that time."

Hearing Jason getting ready for the adventure ahead gave Nina some sense of security.

Professors Cromwell and Harris rounded up the students once again, leading them out of the mall and onto the cobblestone streets of Salem until they arrived in front of the statue of Roger Conant. Before them was an imposing, Gothic structure.

"This is the Salem Witch Museum," said Professor Cromwell to the students. "I know that it can be a little disturbing seeing what the No-Maj population has done to our kind, but please, try to keep your emotions in check."

"I'll keep these No-Majs in check," said Erin under her breath.

Nina giggled while the professors and the other students tried their best to ignore Erin's ongoing rebelliousness. They all entered the Salem Witch Museum, taking their seats as the life-size dioramas showing scenes of early European settlers in distress lit up. The entire room fell quiet as the story began. The voice of an ominous sounding man with a British accent relayed the story of Mrs. Putnam, a woman affected by the deaths of some family members.

"Mrs. Putnam considered turning away from her God," said the announcer. "Trying to contact the dead through forbidden means."

Nina's face turned red at the mention of communicating with ghosts. Nina wanted nothing more than to forget about her predicament at least for a little while, but it seemed she kept getting reminded of it.

The voice described the meetings that took place in the house of Samuel Parris, a Puritan minister. Many young girls, including the daughter of Mrs. Putnam, gathered there to pass the time during the winter.

"The center of these meetings was old Tituba," said the narrator. "A black woman whom Parris had brought back as his servant from Barbados. To amuse the girls, Tituba told them stories or showed them tricks and scraps of magic, some of which had probably come over with her ancestors on the slave ships from Africa."

"Last time I checked," said Erin. "Those European girls were not forced to learn magic. It was their own damn fault for letting it get out of control, but of course they're going to blame the black woman."

"Did he say Africa?" said Nina. "Tituba wasn't black. She was indigenous South American, like me. They can't even do racism right?"

Nina and Erin left feeling angrier than when they went in but joined their classmates when they spotted food stands in the park across the street. They scurried over and ordered snacks like unicorn churros, shaved ice, and popcorn. Upon seeing a group of No-Majs dressed as Hogwarts students, Nina and her friends visibly recoiled in horror.

"This is the most ghetto charity event I've been to in my life," said Jason.

"And that's on period," added Erin.

"You know what?" said Nina. "They deserve to know the truth."

Despite Chris trying to hold Nina back, she walked over to the group of No-Maj "students."

"I see you guys are fans of Harry Potter," said Nina, to the nods of these young fans. "Cool, then I'll let you in on a little secret: Harry Potter is a real person, but he looks nothing like Daniel Radcliffe. He saved the UK from a wizard supremacist so that magical and non-magical beings of all kinds could live their lives happily, but J. K. Rowling took his story, pretended she made it up on her own, published it in the No-Maj—sorry, 'Muggle' world, and became a billionaire without giving a single cent to the 'boy who lived.'"

All the Ilvermorny students around Nina, including herself, held their collective breath. Then the little Harry Potter fans began laughing, which the Ilvermorny students joined in on to seem normal.

"You must be crazy if you think we're falling for that," said one of the fans.

"I thought you liked Harry Potter," said Jason to Nina.

The little fans' eyes lit up when they heard Jason's accent.

"Are you British?" asked a little red-headed fan.

"There's this place called Australia," said Jason. "Look it up."

"That's enough," said Professor Harris. "It's time to leave."

Nina and her friends caught up with their Ilvermorny classmates as they boarded the buses. The ride back to school was bumpy. The noise of all the students chatting mixed into a cacophony. Jason and Chris sat with Adam on the left and across the aisle from them were Nina and Erin with Duchess again.

"Although they're still misinformed about us," said Jason. "I did notice that people were rooting for the witches around town."

"It gives me hope that we could make real progress towards better relations between wizards and No-Majs someday," added Chris.

"Don't fool yourselves," said Nina. "They like fictional witches. The second they meet a real witch, they'll be itching to start a fire."

As they arrived at the entrance of the Ilvermorny campus, the field trip finally came to an end as the students got off their buses and returned to the bustle of the school day.

Nina, Erin and Duchess walked together to their Introduction to Santería class. Cowrie shell necklaces were hanging from strings on the ceiling and little wooden statuettes of gods and goddesses sat on bookshelves around the classroom. The three girls sat in very comfortable, deep-red armchairs in front of long, blacktop desks. The teacher was Professor Claudia Castro, a Cuban woman with a light-brown skin tone and loosely curled brown hair.

"In today's lesson," said Professor Castro with an air of mystery. "We will be divining to invoke the orisha, Yemaya. Your spell kits are on your desks, so take a look at them."

On Erin's desk was the spell kit of the day: the parchment for her grimoire, a sea-green candle, a pocketful of herbs, and a conch-shell wand. The parchment had a watercolor illustration of a water goddess. She had afro hair made of seaweed, dark-blue skin, and a long, white dress that billowed like fabric underwater. Erin placed the parchment into her grimoire, and with a warm yellow glow, it attached to the spine as though it were just another page of the book.

Duchess raised her hand to catch Professor Castro's attention. Duchess took the Professor's nod as a cue to ask her question.

"Aren't most spirits that are invoked by magic… well… evil?" asked Duchess.

"That's a slight misconception," said Professor Castro. "Yemaya is a friendly spirit. This is why I am allowing you to contact her. But of course, just like living people, there are spirits who are not so friendly who might try to take advantage of your attempt to interact with them."

Erin motioned Nina to come closer to her, making sure that she was quiet enough so others couldn't hear.

"We know all about nasty spirits, don't we?" said Erin, teasing Nina who stuck her tongue out in return.

"Would anyone like to volunteer?" said Professor Castro.

"I would," said Erin, raising her hand.

"Good," said Professor Castro. "Now, burn your candle and with your conch wand in hand, repeat after me: 'Yo te doy lo que recibí; mi cuerpo, mi mente, mi fe para ti.'"

"You're really quizzing me on my Spanish," said Erin. "Hopefully, Nina taught me well. _Incendio_."

A small flame burst from the tip of Erin's wand, effectively lighting the blue candle. Then she took her conch wand in her hand and made tiny circles around the parchment

"Yo te doy lo que recibí," said Erin with her eyes closed. "Mi cuerpo, mi mente, mi fe… para ti."

Erin felt her soul open up. It was as if her insides parted to make way for a new host. Her mind was now in the spirit world and she could neither see nor hear anything, but she could sense a multitude of beings surrounding her. One in particular was vicious and charging straight at her like a bull. Erin braced for impact, but a gentle spirit pushed the vicious one away and entered her body.

Erin was no longer herself. Yemaya was in control of her body now. Erin was not afraid, though. It felt like home.

"The pale one from history has been set free," said Yemaya's voice through Erin. "The one with a soul as white as evil itself is returned and will bring death and destruction in his wake. I give you the gift of clarity to fight his wickedness."

Erin started choking as copious amounts of sea water expelled from her mouth. It washed over her desk and she was left trying to catch her breath once it stopped. Yemaya left Erin's body and Erin returned to the corporeal world. Everyone, including the teacher, stared at her in horror. Erin wiped her mouth and cleared her throat.

"She was probably talking about some makeup I lost," she said nonchalantly. "Clarity will help me find it."

Nina looked at Erin as she sought to find the meaning behind her uncharacteristically sage words. The class resumed as normal, or as normal as could be after this whole ordeal.

After school, Jason told the others who he thought the next evil witch was: Morgan le Fay. He discovered her only weakness was the sword Excalibur, but it needed to be infused with extra magical force to work on witches.

The hands of time struck twelve and so befell the Witching Hour upon Ilvermorny. Nina, Jason, Erin and Chris surreptitiously snuck out of their dorms to meet at the familiar spot on the wall in the hall. Jason tapped the wall as he memorized the sequence and it split open, presenting them with the large, dark room with a bridge leading to the hub.

"You're all here," said Merlin. "How is life treating you?"

"Terribly," said Nina.

Merlin was taken aback by Nina's candor, but Chris just shrugged in response.

"We had an interesting field trip today," informed Chris.

"Oh," responded Merlin. "I see... well, as always, make sure to be vigilant on your quest."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," said Jason. "All right, guys. Here we go."

The four students stepped on the second glowing platform from the left, and the world around them flashed before their eyes.

They descended through the floor and felt their feet touch grassy ground. They all surveyed their surroundings and Nina knew she was back in the land of her nightmare. Treetops cast a dreamy shadow, the plant life was imbued with a dewy film of moisture, there was a light mist permeating the air. There was the familiar lake in the center where she drowned while Erin was carried away by a flying buzzard. That was when Nina heard Erin scream.

"Help!" shouted Erin. "A bird's got me!"

"Erin!" shouted Nina, whipping around only to see Erin laughing just a few feet behind her.

"You thought I would get eaten by a goddamn bird?" said Erin in between laughs.

"So the prophecy is true," said a withered, old man's voice.

The four students were caught off guard by an elderly, bearded man wearing blue robes. He instantly reminded them of someone.

"Merlin?" said Nina. "Is that you?"

"Just how old are you?" said Erin.

"Never mind that," said Merlin, ignoring the question. "We are in need of your help. Follow me."

Merlin led them to a camp close to the lake. There was a group of men in rags seated around a campfire. A handsome, blond man stood at the head of the group, leading a discussion on the plans of a future attack.

"Young people," said Merlin. "I would like you to meet Arthur."

"As in King Arthur?" asked Erin. "Shouldn't you look a little more… kingly?"

"It is true," said Arthur. "I'm afraid I appear before you as no more than a peasant due to my malevolent sister Morgana's doing."

"Morgana," echoed Jason. "You mean Morgan le Fay?"

Arthur winced at the sound of that name, finding Jason's careless tone disconcerting.

"Don't use the title that monster gave herself," said Arthur.

"Arthur," said Merlin. "I believe these young people are the heroes foretold by the prophecy."

At this information, Arthur looked the four students up and down—they looked very unassuming.

"I'll take your word for it, Merlin," he said. "We'll need all the help we can get. Do the four of you have any plans?"

"We should go for an ambush," said Jason, naturally taking the lead. "Do you know what she's doing today?"

"Morgana's going to a foreign nation via carriage for a meeting with another ruler," said Arthur. "Do you suggest we attack her then?"

"Exactly," said Jason.

Later that afternoon in the castle of Avalon was Morgana, or Morgan le Fay: a fair woman with long, blond hair. She stepped into her white carriage led by a horse rider. He drove her carriage through a rarely used rode through thick bushes and trees. Arthur, his army, and the four kids were in the bushes hiding. Then, Arthur rushed out.

"Charge!" he shouted.

His men came out of the woodwork and Morgana's horse rider hopped off the carriage and pulled her out, for he was a spy from Arthur's court. He pulled out his sword and pointed it at Morgana's throat.

"Unhand me, you cretin!" shouted Morgana. "_Furnunculus_!"

The horse rider began screaming in pain as his skin bubbled, his body being covered in painful, pustulous boils.

"The plague!" shouted Arthur and his soldiers, hastily backing away.

"_Finite Incantatem_!" shouted Chris.

The horse rider's boils dissipated but he fell unconscious from the initial shock. The other soldiers swung at Morgana, but she flung each one away like rag dolls with a swipe of her arm. As this was happening, the four students along with Merling converged their magic unto Arthur's Excalibur.

Morgana knew the severe implication of this, fearing the prophecy to be true. She made haste and assumed the form of a buzzard. As a buzzard, Morgana soared straight at Erin, but Erin retaliated by whipping her wand at the evil witch.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" shouted Erin.

Buzzard-Morgana's whole body was rendered immoble, frozen in place by the spell Erin had just cast. She plummeted down slowly.

"Now's your chance, Arthur!" said Jason.

Arthur stabbed Buzzard-Morgana through the breast. Suddenly, Morgana's buzzard body rippled and morphed back into her human form. Arthur, Merlin, and the four students watched with bated breath as Morgana's body lay motionless on the floor.

The sight of this scene was too much for the four students. Chris resisted the urge to throw up while all the others looked away in horror. Her body faded away, leaving only a lone Wizard Card on the ground. Jason shakily picked it up. Arthur approached the four students.

"You have aided me in regaining my kingship," said Arthur. "For that I thank you."

"Yeah, let's just get this over with," said Nina before turning to Merlin. "And we have a lot of talking to do later."

"I understand," said Merlin unquestioningly.

All four kids walked back to the lake and felt their weight suddenly drop. They were floating in the air and found themselves back in the hub. Now two of the platforms had reclaimed Wizard Cards on them while the rest remained dormant as the Witching Hour came to a close. Merlin's much older, ghostly face greeted them.

"I see you've defeated the evil," said Merlin, noticing their distressed faces. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Chris turned away while Nina stepped forward.

"We saw Morgan le Fay die," said Nina. "And we were partially responsible for it. The first witch was easy because she just blew up, but we saw Morgan le Fay get stabbed and die slowly. I can't help but feel like I'm a murderer and a traitor because she was a witch like me. That would make me no better than those Salem witch hunters."

"It wasn't real, Nina," said Merlin. "These spirits already died long ago. And you must remember that these magic users were evil and that their memory was revived by a bigger evil whose purpose we have yet to know. You are only returning things back to the way they were, nothing more."

A somber silence filled the air.

"Let's go to sleep," said Chris. "I'm exhausted."

With that being said, the four students wordlessly returned to their respective dorm rooms, all sharing the same trouble in falling asleep. They couldn't get the image of Morgan le Fay's maimed body out of their heads. At one point during the night, Nina felt her mind give way.

She opened her eyes and saw nothing but a dark, endless sky. Nina felt her feet dangling and the wind gently pushing against her from every side. Then she looked down to see a vast expanse of a beautiful, blue ocean. The moon's light was reflecting off the ocean like dancing sapphire. Nina was high in the air with seemingly nothing to hold her.

"I'm falling!" she shouted haphazardly.

While flailing her arms around, she felt a seat belt press against her midsection and a seat appeared underneath her.

"Oh," sighed Nina. "Thank God."

She looked down at her seat, noticing that it was more of a bench. Then she saw that there was another to her left and right and saw three more above her. It was like a giant, floating auditorium.

Down on the ocean, a small landmass came into view out of the horizon. Nina's vehicle came closer and closer to it until she was floating just above it—a tropical island littered with palm trees. On it was a volcano that looked dangerously active.

The stars in the sky collected to form bizarre shapes. They were mysterious runes of a nature Nina had never seen before. They appeared as if they were only inches away right in front of her. Nina reached her arm out to grab one but her seat belt snapped and she went tumbling down through the air.

She was falling closer and closer to the island in the middle of the vast ocean. Nina landed on a thin tree in such a way that her stomach was impaled by the top. Her body remained static as her mind blacked out completely.


	4. Fly Like a Seabird

_November 3, 2019_

Chris was asleep in his cozy dorm room that fit two beds, one on either side, and a shared dresser drawer on the back wall. Under the window was a wooden desk with various spell books that Chris used to help with his homework. A wall banner of the Horned Serpent, contorted in the shape of a Gordian knot, was hung proudly above Chris' bed.

"Chris," hissed a teen boy's voice.

"What?!" said Chris. "I'm up. I'm up."

Chris woke up and felt a purring ball of fuzz beside him. His eyes adjusted to the morning light which spilled into the dorm room through the blinds.

The furball in question was none other than Chris' cat Sagwa. He pet the snoring Siamese cat, making her stretch groggily. Sagwa propped herself up on the bed, her tail shaking behind her as she jumped on top of the bed across from Chris.

Chris' roommate, Keahu Opunui—a native Hawaiian with a sunkissed tan and wavy, black hair—welcomed Sagwa onto his bed as she snuggled up to him.

"Sometimes I think she likes you better," said Chris somewhat grumpily.

"And it looks like you overslept," said Keahu. "Again…"

Chris checked the time on his phone, seeing a notification for a post sent from Nina to the group chat.

"Oh, crap," said Chris.

"What's wrong?" asked Keahu.

"Nina wants us to talk over something during breakfast," explained Chris. "Which started… ten minutes ago."

Chris hastily changed into his school uniform, throwing on his blue-and-cranberry Ilvermorny robes over the top to finish the look.

"So," said Keahu, waking Chris out of his zombie-like routine. "What's the Sacred Quartet been up to lately? People have been talking."

"Nothing," snapped Chris. "We've just been really into the curriculum this semester. It's been very… spirited."

"Uh-huh," said Keahu sarcastically, continuing to pet Sagwa to her delight. "Well, I would hope you would tell me any cool adventures you guys might be going on. I'd wanna go!"

"Trust me," said Chris. "You would find our little outings really boring. Well, gotta go!"

Chris zipped out the door, leaving Keahu with Sagwa in bed. Keahu narrowed his eyes, skeptical of Chris' story.

The dining hall was bustling with the Ilvermorny student body having breakfast and chatting away on this chilly morning. Chris walked in through the entrance, spotting Nina, Jason and Erin seated together. Nina waved Chris over and he settled next to Erin.

"Listen up, people," said Nina. "In the dream, I was floating over the ocean in this really dark world. I saw a little island in this big ocean, and then the stars in the sky came together to make a bunch of shapes. Then, I fell onto the top of a tree and died."

"What did the shapes in the sky look like?" said Jason. "Were they runes, or something?"

"Yeah," said Nina. "I guess. One was like a squiggly square. Another one kind of looked like the letter K."

"Why don't you just draw it and send it to us?" said Chris.

"Great idea!" said Nina.

Nina bent down to pull out her Apple Pen and tablet from her Hedwig backpack.

"Thank God for technology," said Nina, making Chris gasp.

"You can't say His name in a building of magic," said Chris. "Or can we? Are we on good terms with God?"

"I don't know," said Jason. "Either way, you have No-Majs to thank for technology."

Nina and Erin gave Jason a death glare, still a little agitated with No-Majs because of the Salem field trip from the previous day.

"Jeez," said Jason. "You're acting like your parents told you that you were a squib."

"There," said Nina, adding the finishing touches to her drawings. "I put the drawing in the group chat. Find out anything you can."

"Will do," said Chris.

Nina looked at her phone once more, taking note of the current time.

"We should get going," said Nina. "It's almost time for first period."

Erin took one last bite of her buttery pancake, savoring the taste.

"Breakfast is my favorite class," said Erin. "It's too bad they don't allow extra credit."

In Charms class, Professor Durga Kapoor stood at the head of the classroom. She was a petite woman of Indian descent: soft-spoken but very confident in her knowledge of charms. Nina sat with Erin in the front row.

"We will be going over the Patronus Charm," started Professor Kapoor to the excited chatter of the students. "I know that this spell has gained… notoriety because of the Harry Potter biopics, but I assure you, it's not as easy as they make it seem."

"I can't wait to do this!" whispered Nina to Erin. "I've watched Prisoner of Azkaban so many times that I recreate the Patronus scene with my stuffed animals. I use a dog plushie in place of Sirius Black."

"You're such a nerd," said Erin, chuckling.

Professor Kapoor attempted to continue her lecture the best she could, but the students were beginning to talk over her.

"Now if you see in your handout," said Professor Kapoor, holding out the parchment that the students already adhered to their grimoires. The page had an illustration of a silver lioness standing majestically on a sand dune underneath a dark, star-studded sky. "You will read that you must have a visceral recollection of—"

"—your happiest memory, right?" said Nina enthusiastically, cutting Professor Kapoor off.

"You're one of those, I see," said Professor Kapoor, trying to mask her annoyance. "Once you've got that memory, think of nothing else. Then, you point your wand and say '_Expecto Patronum_!'"

A shimmery Patronus which took the shape of a Bengal tiger escaped Professor Kapoor's wand in a flash of blue light. The Patronus hopped around the classroom, bouncing off the tables and the walls until it dissipated into a bright, blue mist.

"It takes time and practice to pull this off," said Professor Kapoor. "So I don't expect—"

"_Expecto Patronum_!" said Nina.

As Nina recited the incantation, a blue llama burst forth from her wand and galloped around the classroom to the surprise of her classmates.

"—you to do it on the first try," finished Professor Kapoor, irritated.

"Great job, Nina," said Erin. "Which memory did you think of?"

"That's easy," said Nina. "It was my trip to Machu Picchu. I got to spend time with my family in the Amazon as well as my family in the city. They taught me about life as a witch in Peru and helped me to appreciate the rich culture and heritage of my magical ancestors."

"That's beautiful," said Erin. "Now, what's my best memory?"

"Perhaps think back to your childhood," said Professor Kapoor, overhearing the girls' conversation. "Most of the time, people think of a birthday or something similar."

Soon enough, all of the students were on their feet, practicing the charm for themselves. The students' Patronuses manifested in various forms, but they were mostly formless blobs of blue magic. Erin tried her best but all she could muster was one of these bursts of energy.

"I wanna know what it looks like as an animal," said Erin, frustrated.

"Don't stress out," said Nina. "I've been practicing it for a long time. I'm sure it'll come to you soon."

Erin continued trying her best to perform the spell along with all the other students.

The Study of Ancient Runes classroom on the seventh floor doubled as the location for the Ancient Runes Club meetings. Bookcases lined every wall, and every single row was filled with spell books. Naturally, the club consisted mostly of intelligent Horned Serpents who loved a good challenge in learning what was essentially a new language.

Chris was seated with Keahu and Samiya Al-Fayed, a 15-year-old Horned Serpent wearing a magenta hijab. Chris looked at the drawing on his phone and tried to doodle them as best he could in his notebook.

"Do you really think she'll know what it means?" asked Chris.

"It couldn't hurt to ask," said Samiya.

"And, you know," added Keahu. "Deciphering Ancient Runes is one of her specialties."

"All right," said Chris.

He mustered the courage to walk up to Professor Okonkwo's desk with his notebook in hand. Professor Okonkwo looked up from her copy of the text _Spellman's Syllabary_.

"How can I help you, Mr. Nieves?" asked Professor Okonkwo.

"I have a question, Professor," said Chris, demonstrating his sketch. "Can you tell me what these symbols mean?"

"Where did you find that?" said Professor Okonkwo grimly, her face falling into a concerned expression.

"Uh," said Chris, thinking of a lie. "It's a little Internet mystery, like a Creepypasta."

"Hmm," said Professor Okonkwo. "I'm not too sure about this 'creepy pasta,' but… this sequence of runes roughly translates into, 'the serpent swallows the earth beneath your feet.' The verb used here has a specifically violent connotation that doesn't translate well into English. If it was meant to be frightening, it got the job done."

Chris looked back to his friends Keahu and Samiya, who looked just as puzzled as he did. Chris returned to his seat and for the rest of the club meeting, Chris mulled over what it could mean. Something violent...?

Over at the Quidditch field were Nina and Erin in full Quidditch gear, mounting their brooms. They hit a bludger towards an opponent. They nearly avoided crashing into another player. Erin clubbed a bludger away from her. Their teammate's eyes caught a glint among the stands. She shot right at it, hand outstretched. It was only inches away from her hand. She thrust herself forward and caught the snitch!

"And the crowd goes wild," said Jason, applauding excitedly.

Nina rolled her eyes at Jason who was the only person amongst the empty stands.

"That's what you're gonna be saying at the big game," said Erin confidently.

"You know you're playing against Mahoutokoro, right?" said Jason. "Don't you know who the captain is?"

"No," said Nina, scratching her head.

"It's Kenta Nakamura!" said Jason, earning confused looks from Nina and Erin. "He started getting popular a couple of years ago on Twitch and now he has thousands of fans. I watch all of his streams and he's a good friend of mine."

"What do you mean by 'good friend?'" asked Erin skeptically.

"He gives me shout-outs on his streams all the time," said Jason. "I follow him and he follows me, so we're basically best friends."

"So you're just a fanboy," said Erin, making Jason pout.

"I can prove it to you," said Jason.

He pulled out his phone and went to a stream of Kenta Nakamura, a kid in his late teens with a bowl cut hairstyle, playing Nier: Automata. Jason scrubbed the stream to the part in question.

"Thank you for the sub, Wampus Willow!" said Kenta in what sounded like a Tasmanian accent. "I really appreciate your support.

Nina and Erin looked to Jason, amused by how silly his username sounded.

"I told ya," said Jason triumphantly.

"Yup," said Erin. "Just a fanboy."

"Well," said Nina. "Now that you've told us that riveting story, can you let us get back to practice?"

"Fine," said Jason. "You'll see when Kenta gets here. Anyway, see you guys later."

Jason walked down the winding, wooden staircase of the stands on his way back to the castle to let Nina and Erin focus on their practice.

At the Witching Hour, the four students congregated in their usual spot in the hall. Chris was already standing there when the others arrived. Nina and Erin had their broomsticks with them.

"What took you guys so long?" whispered Chris.

"These things are heavy and keep making noise," said Erin, gesturing to the broomsticks. "Jason, hurry up and open the wall."

Jason tapped the wall in the secret formation and the wall split in two. It slid open, allowing them to walk into the hub. The transparent figure of Merlin stood over the bridge.

"Good evening, children," said Merlin. "What are the brooms for?"

"My lucid dream had me flying over an island," said Nina. "So I assume that we'll be transported midair. I thought it would be a good idea to bring these broomsticks just in case."

"I'm very impressed," said Merlin. "You are all proving yourselves as the right heroes for this."

"We're also the people who caused it," said Chris.

"Details, details," said Erin. "Plenty of heroes from historical wars are also the ones who caused them, yet no one questions their hero status. Why should we be any different?"

"Enough talking," said Jason. "Let's go, already."

All of them stood on the third floor pad from the left. Chris stood behind Nina and Jason stood behind Erin as the pad lit up.

The four students descended through the pad and immediately they were freefalling through the starry skies. Nina and Erin mounted their broomsticks and flew to catch Jason and Chris. They saw an island situated right underneath them. Nina and Erin gently glided down and they all noticed it became harder and harder to see.

"Is it getting darker?" said Chris.

When they reached the sandy ground of the island, they noticed everything was pitch black.

"_Lumos Duo_!" said Nina.

The light from the end of her wand burst brightly, but the darkness ate away at it until it was gone.

"What's going on?" said Nina.

"Please leave us alone!" said a disheveled older man. "We don't want any more trouble!"

Their eyes adjusted to the darkness and they saw that this old man was protecting a family gathered around a dimly lit campfire. They seemed to be his son, daughter-in-law, and his grandchildren.

"We mean no harm," said Nina. "We're here to help."

"And how can a little girl like you help us?" said the old man. "The evil witch Cliodna took away our light. Without light, how do we raise crops, herd our animals, or even travel?"

"That's horrible," said Jason. "But you're in luck. We have magic, too. And we will use it to restore light to this land. Just point us to her."

"She's right there," said the old man, pointing up at the sky.

Like a vulture, a woman in a purple and green cloak circled above the island on a broomstick. What little light emanated from the campfire snaked up into the air to pool into Cliodna's potion bottle. She tucked her potion of light away into her cloak and left.

"Don't let her get away!" said Nina.

That being said, they took to the skies. Jason mounted the broom behind Erin and Chris mounted the broom behind Nina. As they rose higher and higher, they flew through the clouds, getting practically drenched from the mist. The cold air and the high speed at which they were flying to catch up with Cliodna made their eyes water and their hair flap wildly in the wind.

Cliodna started throwing potions at them. They dodged each one but the potions blew up in a huge explosion when they hit the water. One of the explosions from Cliodna's potions hit Nina.

Nina fell off the broom while Chris was unseated but hanging on to the broomstick for dear life. Nina was falling through the air, heading straight for a skinny tree—she was going to get impaled if she didn't catch herself!

She was about to try a spell, but as she pointed she felt nothing in her hand but air: her wand was missing. It was at this point that Chris could no longer hang onto the broom. Nina looked up and saw that the wand was much higher than her, close to Chris.

"Chris!" said Nina. "Throw me my wand!"

Chris grabbed the wand and flung it right into her hand.

"_Accio_, broomstick!" said Nina, pointing her wand at the broom.

Nina's broomstick flew to her and she mounted it just feet from the top of the skinny tree. She avoided getting impaled but needed to save Chris who was still plummeting. She flew right under him and caught him. He was shaking from fright behind her.

"Remind me never to go parachuting," said Chris.

"Let's get back into the action," said Nina.

They flew back up to join Jason and Erin who were still doing their best to keep Cliodna from escaping.

"I've had enough of you," said Cliodna. "Take care of them for me, my Living Shrouds!"

Cliodna summoned creatures that resembled floating dark blankets and unleashed them on the four students. Nina and Erin's Quidditch skills kicked in. They swerved around these creatures as though they were swerving around bludgers. One of these creatures got a hold of Chris' leg and Nina kicked it away. It left fresh teeth marks on his leg.

"What's with the flapping blankets?" said Erin.

"Those are Lethifolds," said Chris. "Their only weakness is the Patronus Charm. Everyone, use your Patronus!"

The four students conjured their happiest memories, but Erin struggled to think of hers. Time was running out. Erin thought of a simple yet powerful memory.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" the four of them shouted as a chorus.

From each of their wands a misty blue animal appeared: Nina summoning a llama, Jason summoning a black bear, Erin summoning a yellow canary, and Chris summoning a coquí. The Lethifolds were enveloped by the patronus animals until they all disappeared in a brilliant, blue light. When the Patronuses headbutted them, the Lethifolds folded into themselves and disappeared.

"We did it!" said Erin, incredulous.

"Don't celebrate just yet," said Chris. "We still have Cliodna to defeat."

Cliodna transformed into a dark cormorant seabird and tried to fly away while the students were distracted.

"Not so fast," said Chris. "_Ebublio!_"

Seabird-Cliodna found herself trapped inside an impenetrable bubble. She pecked at it, but it wouldn't pop.

"Bye-bye, birdie," said Erin.

Erin pulled out her club that she brought from Quidditch practice and struck Cliodna's bubble down to the ocean like it was a rogue bludger. Cliodna frantically flapped around inside the bubble as it hurtled at top speed towards the ocean surface. When the bubble hit the water, it popped and Cliodna was no more. Her Famous Wizard Card shot up from the ocean and landed squarely in Jason's open palm.

Cliodna's magic no longer had its hold on the little island, and the sun ascended over the horizon—it was a new day. The villagers looked up to the four students, prepared to thank them when the four students disappeared before their very eyes.

Nina, Jason, Erin and Chris found themselves on top of the floor pad back in the hub with Merlin.

"Victorious, yet again," said Merlin. "Who was it this time?"

They all dismounted the broomsticks now that they were safely on land again.

"It was Cliodna," said Nina. "We were able to apprehend her with some spells we learned recently."

"Especially the Patronus Charm," said Jason. "It was a life saver from Lethifolds."

"You survived an attack from Lethifolds?" gasped Merlin.

"That's right," said Chris. "In history, only one person has been recorded to survive a Lethifold attack."

"Then add four more survivors to the list," said Nina. "Speaking of witchcraft, Erin finally produced her Patronus! What did you think of?"

"I thought about the happiest moment of my life," said Erin. "And it was when my mother gave me a Tweety Bird backpack. That's why my Patronus was a yellow canary."

Nina, Jason and Chris laughed, making Erin slightly annoyed.

"Simple pleasures bring us great joy when we're young," said Merlin.

"Listen to what the Supreme Overlord Wizard says," said Erin happily. "He's got my back."

"Thank you for that," said Merlin, chuckling. "Much like the four of you, Cliodna was a wonderful witch once, but as we've seen, good people can very easily turn into something evil. She could have made such a positive difference in the world."

"We'll keep doing our best to contribute to the Wizarding World," said Nina. "As best we can."

"I think you're making great strides to do just that," said Merlin.

Those last words of wisdom said, the four students then went their separate ways and returned to their respective dorm rooms.

Nina lay in her bed, fearing that she was going to have another nightmare but succumbing to that fact. As she slipped away into unconsciousness, she heard faint voices. They were so lively that they almost sounded like they were arguing. Nina opened her eyes and found herself right in line for a ride. She was at the gate, ready to be the next person to board.

"This is my favorite ride ever!" said Chris. "There's a turn and a dip and a splash!"

"Pay attention, guys," said Erin. "You don't want anyone cutting in line."

Nina looked around and saw that they were the only ones there. The floor was colored like yellow sand. The boat pulled up into the station and the gate before them swung open. Nina's friends fought to sit in front.

"Hey!" said Nina. "Chris and Erin, go in the front. Jason, you're with me."

They all calmly piled into the front seat. The boat started its journey, floating forward slowly. They saw a temple in the distance made of marble supported by pillars and a large set of steps leading up to it. Their boat steadily traveled to the temple's entrance.

Their boat passed through the entrance and all the friends found themselves in complete, cool darkness. Little smatterings of light came on to show jets of water arching over the boat. Little animatronic pigs charged at the boat. The entire room lit up to show that the entire beautiful throne room was covered in pigs. A beautiful, gilded throne was proudly displayed to their right. It was empty and waiting for a ruler to claim it.

Their boat reached a lift hill, ready to exit this room and enter the next. The anticipation of this hill subsided as they reached the top and just as they became comfortable, an evil gorgon lunged at them from above. This led to a sheer drop into a pit of lava. The ride car kept rolling through the lava, splatteringing burning hot lava onto the screaming passengers.


	5. Men Are Pigs

_November 4, 2019_

Nina awoke from her nightmare, instinctively wiping lava off her arms—except there wasn't any. There were no remnants of this dream in the real world. Nina sighed with relief at this.

"Are you okay?" said Erin. "You started flapping around like crazy."

Erin seemed just fine this morning, already up and getting ready for the day ahead. Nina, on the other hand, was recovering from yet another traumatic nightmare.

"This dream had lava in it," said Nina, incredibly annoyed by her dreams finding new ways to kill her.

"I don't know how you do it," said Erin. "If I had a dream where I died every night, I would lose it."

"I know, right," sassed Nina.

She tossed and turned in bed, trying to find a more relaxing spot but to no avail: this particular nightmare had shaken her in a way the others hadn't yet. The idea of her friends perishing because of her mistakes started becoming a real possibility in her mind that haunted her.

"You can borrow my fizzy bath bomb from the top drawer," said Erin, trying her best to calm Nina down. "And we can have sweets at lunch."

"Thanks, Erin," said Nina. "You know just what to say to make me feel better."

"Ew," said Erin. "We're having such a girl moment. We're not girls; we're gangsters."

"Better to have a girl moment than a stupid boy moment," chuckled Nina, grabbing a towel and some bath bombs that Erin offered.

In the girls' lavatories, Nina took a fizzy bath to calm her nerves while Erin finished dressing up for the day back at the dorm room.

The two girls regrouped in the hallway and made their way to the dining hall, eventually meeting up with Jason and Chris who were already seated together.

The students and faculty of Ilvermorny were having breakfast merrily. A warm, multihued glow was cast through the stained glass window at the head of the dining hall where the professors dined together at a long table.

"Has anyone ever noticed that the professors' table looks like The Last Supper?" asked Chris.

Oddly enough, it did resemble the painting. This made Nina, Erin and Jason laugh at Chris. Although Chris was an intellectual Horned Serpent, he had a habit of saying strange things.

"Anyway," said Nina. "Now that we're all here together, let me tell y'all about the dream."

Nina and Erin took their seats across from Jason and Chris, huddled away from the ears of their classmates.

"What crazy ride was it this time?" asked Jason.

"It was a log flume ride," said Nina. "And you were all there. You all fought to get in the front."

"That sounds like us," said Erin.

"Then, the boat went down and I saw a temple," said Nina. "It looked Greek or something. Then we entered it and these animals attacked us. Then a scary gorgon lady's face jumped out at us and we dropped into a lava pit."

"These rides keep getting more creative," said Chris. "I'm kind of sad I can't ride them."

Nina and Erin both frowned at him.

"If you knew what it was like, you wouldn't be thinking that," said Nina. "Do you know what it's like to feel burning hot lava seer your skin?"

"There's this thing called thinking before you speak," said Erin. "You should try it some time."

"Whatever," said Chris.

Wang Mei-Ling—a petite, fourth-year Thunderbird with fair skin and hair so black that it shone blue—approached the table.

"Come on, guys," said Mei-Ling to her friends Nina and Erin. "We're gonna be late for Transfiguration!"

"Keep your panties on, girl," said Erin, making Mei-Ling giggle. "Let's go, Nina Bonina."

"Let's," said Nina, waving Jason and Chris goodbye.

The Transfiguration class was adorned with absurd paintings of people and objects in the process of morphing into other things. Nina, Erin and Mei-Ling sat together, chatting away like chirpy birds.

The chatter came to a stop as the professor walked into the room and made himself at home at the head of the class. This was Professor Gaetano Sabbatini: an excitable, middle-aged Italian American. He walked up to the podium to commence his lecture.

"The Melofors Jinx," said Professor Sabbatini with his thick, Staten Island accent. "It's the jinx that encases a target's head in a pumpkin.

"Isn't this a little outdated at this point?" asked Nina. "Halloween was last Thursday."

"I had this lesson planned for Halloween but, y'know, plans change," said Professor Sabbatini. "As I was saying, this spell has more practical uses in the real world than it seems. Alright, everybody, line up one by one on either side of the room."

The students obediently followed the instructions, splitting up into small groups and lining up to face each other. The pairs of students took turns casting the spell on their partners.

"_Melofors!_" said Nina.

A pumpkin formed over Mei-Ling's head. The pumpkin was so heavy for Mei-Ling that she would have tipped over had Erin not caught her.

"I just don't see how this is going to be useful to us," said Nina.

"I completely agree," said Mei-Ling, her voice muffled by the pumpkin. "Could you change me back?"

Professor Sabbatini cast a spell from behind them and Mei-Ling's head reverted to normal. She blew her nose and pumpkin seeds fell out.

"Gross," said Nina and Erin, squirming together.

That afternoon, the campus grounds were covered in autumn leaves, falling in shades of yellow, brown, and red. Nina, Jason, Chris and Erin walked through the courtyard, crunching leaves under their shoes with every step. Naturally, Nina was leading them while Chris was nestling his pet cat, Sagwa, in his arms.

"It's just a little farther," said Nina. "I think you're gonna enjoy this."

Her friends saw that they were getting closer and closer to the snake wood tree that started their whole journey.

"Nina," said Chris. "Where are you taking us?"

Nina led them to a shady little spot underneath the large tree. The greenery and the little hills made this spot breezy and calm. However, this was offset by the eerie, snake-like tree.

"Ta-da!" said Nina, gesturing towards a Slytherin picnic blanket on the ground.

"I'm not dealing with anymore ghosts," said Erin, shaking her head. "I contacted Yemaya out of solidarity for an African sister, but I ended up nearly drowning. I am not doing it again."

"Come on," said Nina. "I just wanted to have a nice little picnic and this snakewood tree goes perfectly with my Slytherin blanket."

Jason, Chris and Erin were apprehensive and kept their distance from the tree.

"I brought some Latin-American food," said Nina, holding up the picnic basket.

"We're in!" said Jason and Erin in unison.

They dug into some Latin cuisine, including foods like sorullitos, plátanos maduros, and tostones. There was a shaker of Goya Adobo in the basket because Nina liked a lot of seasoning on her food. Sagwa purred excitedly, hopping off Chris' lap.

"I made it myself," said Nina. "With some help from Chris… and his mom… and his grandma."

"Did you do anything yourself?" said Erin.

"I seasoned the food," said Nina shaking up the bottle of Adobo excitedly. She bit into the piping-hot alcapurria she was holding.

"These are so good!" said Jason in between bites. "I want more. They're called… sorullitos, right?"

"Yeah," giggled Nina. "Hold up—you're liking this food a little too much. Are you sure you're not Latino?"

"I'm just Korean-Australian," chuckled Jason, blushing. He fed some bacalaíto to Sagwa, who showed her appreciation by snuggling up to Jason's leg.

"I see a little bit of Filipino in you," said Chris. "In my mind, they count."

Chris and Nina cackled at their little in-jokes. In moments like these, they could relax without the pressure of their responsibilities on their minds.

"Oh my god," said Erin, eating some mofongo. "Chris' mama really did make this 'cause… I've tasted your food before and this… um…"

"At least I try!" said Nina, making her friends laugh.

Off in the distance was Keahu, hiding behind a bush. He spectated the Sacred Quartet inquisitively.

"They look so normal," said Keahu. "But they don't fool me."

"What're you doing there?" asked Samiya.

"You're blowing my cover," said Keahu. "Come on."

Samiya begrudgingly joined him in the bush. Its leaves were cool to the touch and slightly damp.

"You're spying on Chris and his other friends?" said Samiya.

"They're not just any regular friends," said Keahu. "They're hiding something and I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."

"Maybe you're just being paranoid," said Samiya.

"That's what they want us to think," said Keahu. "Haven't the Harry Potter biopics taught you anything? It's always the students you would least expect."

"Oh, they have food," said Samiya, coming out from behind the bush and towards Nina's picnic blanket.

"Good idea, Samiya," said Keahu. "Infiltrate their conversation and come back with intel."

"You're crazy," said Samiya in return. "I'm gonna go hang out with them."

After Samiya joined the four students, they spent this uncharacteristically calm afternoon enjoying food and good conversation about the latest TV shows they've been watching on Netflix and the latest YouTube drama.

Later that night, the dining hall tables had desserts all the way up and down the tables. Nina was eating with Erin and Mei-Ling for dinner.

Nina piled sweets onto her plate like she was collecting trading cards. Parfait, réligieuse, Mont Blanc, and chocolate ice cream cake all had a spot on her plate.

"We don't wanna be too full, girl," quipped Erin. "We ate too much earlier today already, and we've got that ghoulie ghoulie to fight later."

"You have a what to fight?" asked Mei-Ling.

Nina shot Erin a disapproving look.

"You know," said Erin, stuttering. "Like… uh… diarrhea!"

Mei-Ling giggled uncontrollably. Nina gave Erin a knowing look, indicating it was a nice save.

"I just can't help myself with all this food," retorted Nina, trying to divert the conversation back on track. "I love ice cream cake!"

"Excuse me," said a male, third-year Thunderbird. "Could you please not talk about diarrhea? Some of us are eating here."

"And some of us are talking here," retorted Erin.

"You have literally the entire cafeteria to sit," said Mei-Ling, defending her friends. "So go somewhere else, boy."

"Fine," said the Thunderbird boy, rolling his eyes.

He picked up his plate and took his seat at the far end of the table with some other students.

"Why are the boys here so annoying?" said Nina.

"Where are they not?" said Mei-Ling.

The girls laughed to themselves.

Midnight was the Witching Hour and once the clock reached it, the four students got up out of bed and sneaked through the halls. They went to the same spot as before and Jason tapped the wall in just the right order. The wall parted, revealing a hub. It was a room where the walls were so far away they were impossible to see past the darkness. There was a red bridge leading to a circular platform with seven pads spread out evenly.

Merlin was floating next to the first pad.

"Good evening children," said Merlin.

"Merlin," said Erin. "I've got a question for you."

"Fire away," said Merlin.

"What do you do when we're not here?" said Erin.

"You don't think I stay here all day, do you?" said Merlin.

Chris started blushing. That's exactly what he thought but hearing it said out loud made it seem silly.

"I go around the school," said Merlin. "Entertaining myself anyway I can. It's lonely and boring being a ghost."

"Will we become ghosts when we die?" said Chris.

"Probably not," said Merlin. "Don't worry about it too much."

The four students shrugged at one another. Then, they all walked over and stood on the fifth pad from the left.

"We're already so close to the end," said Nina. "Let's power through the homestretch and get these cards back!"

Before anyone could respond, they were already descending through the pad.

Their feet landed on mushy mud. The sensation was very unpleasant.

"Ew," said Chris. "It's like a pigsty here."

"There's a reason for that," said Jason, pointing up ahead.

They were standing on the mythical island of Aeaea, surrounded by bright blue water. In front of them was a giant herd of pigs, roaming the dirt ground for food and pushing each other for more space. It was unbelievably crowded.

"They're so cute!" said Erin, petting and hugging the pig closest to her.

"What the hell is going on?" said Nina.

A sobbing, middle-aged woman dressed in tattered rags searched through the crowd of pigs. It seemed like she was looking for a specific one. Nina approached her.

"Excuse me," said Nina. "Can we help you with anything?"

"I don't think you can," said the woman in rags. "I'm trying to look for my family. My father, my brother, my husband, my sons—they're all here, but I don't know where they are."

"What do you mean?" said Nina.

"That evil witch turned the men in my family into pigs," she said. "Every pig you see here used to be a man."

As the realization dawned on them, Erin got up and wiped herself frantically.

"I hope you liked it, you little pervert!" said Erin to the pig who just looked onwards blankly.

"This witch you're talking about," said Jason. "Where is she?"

"She lives over there," said the woman.

She pointed to a temple resting on the mountain. It was a palatial residency of breathtaking beauty made for a queen.

"I guess that's where we're headed," said Jason.

The four students started on their trek, climbing up the mountain as best they could.

"We should have brought our brooms for this one," whined Chris.

"We just gotta power through it," said Jason.

After quite some time, they finally reached the temple. Once again, they were astounded by its sheer size and its majestic beauty. It was strange to think there was a witch inside victimizing innocent humans.

"Let's go in," said Erin.

She led the way, opening the large, marble doors. As they stepped inside, they felt a strange sense of humidity. Off in the distance, they could hear all kinds of animal noises coming from things like lions, pigs, and snakes.

"Don't forget to cast a protective charm if we have to," said Nina.

As they made their way through the temple, however, they noticed this wasn't necessary. All of the animals maintained their distance. Still, the four students kept themselves on guard for any possible threats until they reached the throne room where they found a stunning woman with long black hair, light-brown skin, and a lavender toga.

"Who are you?" asked Nina.

"I am Circe," responded the woman. "The real question is who are you and why are you here?"

"We've heard you've been transfiguring men into animals," said Erin. "Isn't that against the rules here?"

Circe stepped down from her throne, petting a lion on the way down. It was strange seeing such a fearsome beast melt under the touch of Circe as if it were a mere pussycat.

"There are no rules in Greece," said Circe, approaching Jason. "My… what a handsome young man you are."

Jason turned red in the face. Chris instantly frowned, nudging Jason so he would snap out of it.

"This isn't the time to flirt, Jason," said Chris, brandishing his wand directly in Circe's face. "_Verdimillious!_"

The incantation caused green sparks to shoot out of Chris' wand, burning parts of Circe's cheeks and forehead.

"How dare you?!" bellowed Circe. "Begone, swine!"

She began reciting a spell in a language the four students could not understand. She waved her hands in a meticulous formation until a blinding, red light flashed inside the room. Nina and Erin allowed their eyes to adjust to the room to see that there were now two pigs where Jason and Chris once stood.

Circe then turned her attention towards the girls. They panicked.

"What would Jason do?" said Nina. "_Melofors_!"

Circe's head became encased in a pumpkin.

"Is that what Jason would do?" said Erin.

"No," said Nina. "But it gives us more time to think."

Circe struggled to remove the pumpkin off her head with her hands.

"What would Chris do?" said Erin. "He would run the fuck out of here!"

Erin took one of the pigs and they sprinted away as fast as they could while Circe made the pumpkin vanish with a wave of her hand. She wiped pumpkin juice off her forehead and gave chase. Nina and Erin ran out of the temple past the livestock, and up the mountain to the edge of the mouth of the volcano. There was nowhere else to go and Circe was quickly closing the distance.

"Maybe we should've run the other way," said Erin.

Erin let the pig down here, and Circe caught up to them.

"I got rid of those boys for you," said Circe. "Isn't that what you wanted? All I did was turn them into the pigs that they really are. I'm doing it for us girls!"

"That's just an excuse," said Nina. "You're just releasing your frustration on random people. If you were really passionate about equality, you would change their minds, not their species."

"If you like boys so much," said Circe. "Then go ahead and join them."

Circe began casting a spell when the little pig charged at her. She fell over into the volcano and screamed the whole way down.

"Good job, little piggy," said Erin, petting him.

In the middle of petting him, the pig turned back into Jason.

"And that is what Jason would do," he said, getting up from the ground.

From the volcano, a small card shot up and placed itself in Jason's hand. It was Circe's Famous Wizard Card.

"Let's go find Chris," he said, putting the card in his back pocket.

They hiked down the mountain and returned to the former herd of wild pigs. It was now a herd of men and boys all covered in mud. The woman from before seemed to have found her family. Behind the little family reunion was Chris drenched head to toe in mud.

"Can we just go, already?" said Chris, agitated. "The mud is starting to crust."

They felt their bodies become weightless and float upwards. They ascended through the pad and found themselves back in the hub. Merlin was waiting for them.

"Another mission accomplished, I assume?" said Merlin.

"Yup," said Nina, pulling some mud out of her hair.

"Who was it this time?" said Merlin.

"Circe," said Jason.

Merlin chuckled at this name.

"That lady was a real fighter," said Merlin. "Her ways may have been extreme, but her message was spot on."

"Yeah, you're right," said Nina. "If that's all, then let's get cleaned up before we start tracking mud."

They wandered to the lavatories and unbeknownst to them hiding behind a corner in the hall was Keahu watching them go. Now, he knew for a fact that they were doing something suspicious.

They washed up before heading to bed, leaving the night's events in the past. Newly cleaned from a bath to wash away the mud, Nina was extra relaxed this evening and slipped into unconsciousness almost immediately.

When Nina opened her eyes, she was in a teal topless vehicle. She looked around and saw that she was in a big white science facility. There was a black tunnel right in front of her. Up to her left, there was a man in a lab coat standing behind a glass balcony. He had a microphone and a switchboard in front of him.

"Ready when you are, subject #3," said the scientist. "Just give us the okay."

"I don't think I'm ready for this," said Nina.

"Okay," said the scientist.

He pushed the start button anyway. The vehicle went through the black tunnel and warped through hyperspace. It looked like a giant dome of binary, neon green 1's and 0's circling around her. Then, Nina felt the vehicle slow, and the scenery changed.

She ended up in a little town where there were Greek-style stone houses, kids playing outside, and mothers washing clothes. Then she happened upon two men oil wrestling inside of a colosseum aggressively as a crowd was gathered, cheering on the two wrestlers.

Suddenly, an invasion of foreigners occured. The invaders kidnapped innocent people, fought the warriors of this land, and burned the whole city to the ground.

Nina's vehicle drove towards a temple. The fire from outside traveled to the inside. It was blazing and the temple was turning into ruins right before Nina's eyes. The fire damage made it crumble to the floor. A large fiery pillar became detached and landed right on top Nina, crushing her.


	6. Magic Might

_November 5, 2019_

In Jason and Adam's shared dorm room, Jason was looking over his Famous Wizards Cards. Adam noticed him do this.

"Are your cards still lost?" said Adam.

"Some of them are," said Jason. "But I've been getting them back one by one."

"Why don't you just buy new ones?" asked Adam.

"I, uh," stammered Jason. "They had… sentimental value?"

Adam laughed. A notification flashed on Jason's phone; it was a wall of text from his friends. Jason read the conversation:

Nina

"Dream. I was in a Greek temple or something. Then a pillar fell on me. There was a volcano and a colosseum."

Chris

"Colosseum? Those are from Rome… and a volcano? Could it be Pompeii?"

Nina

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Jason, please research this."

Jason finished reading this, looking up to see a concerned Adam.

"Are you okay?" asked Adam.

"Yeah, yeah," said Jason. "I'm fine. It's just Nina being crazy again."

"Well," replied Adam. "I'm off. See you in that new Taoism class in the afternoon."

"Oh, right," said Jason. Esoteric Taoism and Sorcery was a new elective being offered this semester for which he forgot he had signed up. "I can't wait. I've heard the professor is really cool."

"Catch you later," said Adam.

"Bye," said Jason, smiling.

Jason scoured the library for a book on Pompeii. He finally found _History of Pompeii_ on the top shelf. He tried to reach for it but he was a few inches too short. Someone else grabbed it for him.

"What's up, Jason?" said Keahu, handing him the book.

"Thanks, Keahu," said Jason, flustered by the Horned Serpent's beguiling smile.

Keahu's eyes were drawn to the book Jason had in his hands.

"Pompeii?" said Keahu. "What's that about?"

Jason racked his brain for an excuse, thinking as quickly as he could for an explanation.

"I've been really interested in Roman history after taking a Classical Mythology class," he said. "The story of Pompeii's destruction always intrigued me. It just seemed like something out of… a movie."

"Roman history," repeated Keahu. "So it doesn't have anything to do with the snooping around the 'Sacred Quartet' have been up to lately, huh?"

"Uh, I," stammered Jason. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Keahu approached Jason closely—a little too close for comfort, Jason thought to himself.

"I know you're up to something," whispered Keahu in Jason's ear. "And I'm gonna find out what that is whether you like it or not."

Keahu's soft voice sent a disarmingly euphoric tingle down the back of Jason's head, making his face flush.

"See you later," said Keahu, the corner of his mouth raising into an arrogant smile that made him look as devilish as he was handsome.

"Bye," said Jason, the only thing he could think to say after this dangerously close encounter.

Jason watched Keahu intently as he walked away, finally breathing a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Keahu was catching onto him, but that was impossible. How could Keahu, or anyone else for that matter, possibly know what they were doing?

In the forest behind the school, a large group of students were gathered around Professor Katherine MacDonald—a middle-aged, Irish-American woman with bright, red hair.

"Gather 'round, students," said Professor MacDonald. "What you see here are unicorns. These beautiful creatures are born gold like these babies right here, then they grow up to become white at around the age of 7. In between the ages of 2 and 7 they are silver, but the school didn't have the budget for one of those."

There was a doggie bed with three golden unicorns snuggled up together on an overturned milk crate. There was also a white unicorn in reigns tied to a tree.

"Form little groups and take these carrots to feed them," said Professor MacDonald. "Boys and girls to the baby unicorns, but only girls to the mother. Adult unicorns are averse to boys."

Nina, Erin and Chris formed their own group and fed one of the three baby unicorns.

"Jason said that he saw tons of unicorns in Australia," said Chris. "It's so cool that we finally get to see them."

"Speaking of witchcraft," said Nina. "What was it like being a pig, Chris?"

"It was gross," said Chris. "I ate trash, I was dirty, I was stupid."

"And that's different how?" said Erin.

Erin and Nina laughed and high-fived. Chris leered at them, and they stopped laughing.

"Sorry," said Nina.

Chris pet the golden baby unicorn, but it recoiled and cooed.

"Something is missing," said Erin. "The female touch. Let me try it."

The unicorn reacted positively to Erin's caresses, neighing ever so slightly in its adorable voice.

"So," said Professor MacDonald. "Does anyone know the abilities that a unicorn has?"

"I know!" said Nina, pulling out her copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ from her Hedwig backpack. "Let's see. It says here that unicorns are faster than most creatures and their horns have unique magical properties that make them coveted targets for poachers."

"That's very good, Nina," said Professor MacDonald. "To add to your point, Ms. Blake, unicorns are a naturally gentle breed. So much so, in fact, that they don't even mind No-Majs and that's how they've become famous in the No-Maj world."

"Don't forget to tell Jason the thing," whispered Chris to Nina.

"Oh, right," said Nina, texting as quickly as she could without Professor MacDonald noticing.

The Potions classroom was in its usual, dark and dreary ambience today. This was a study hall period where students took the time to do course work for other classes, but usually Professor Bennett just allowed them to do whatever they wanted.

Jason was seated with Adam, going over different potions when Jason received a text. He checked to see who it was. It was from Nina.

"Jason," read Nina's text. "Don't forget the Strengthening Potion."

At the end of study hall period while Professor Bennett had his back turned, Jason swiped the Strengthening Potion from the teacher's desk. Just as Jason was about to step out of the room, Professor Bennet noticed him leaving.

"Hey, Jason," said Professor Bennet. "Some of my potions have gone missing. Do you know anything about that?"

"Not a clue," said Jason.

"Well," he said. "Whoever's been stealing my potions will be in grave trouble. So keep an eye out."

"I'll keep that in mind," gulped Jason.

Jason slipped out of the classroom with the potion hidden behind his back, trying his best to remain inconspicuous. The number of people on their tale was rising. He had to be more careful. He was sweating all the way to his next class.

At the Esoteric Taoism and Sorcery class, Jason was seated with his friends Adam and Ganesh Rao, a fellow Wampus with dusky skin and jet-black hair styled in an undercut.

Professor Wang was taking roll call, requesting every student present to announce themselves. He called Lisa Keane, Chrissie Kelly, then he got to Jason Kwon.

"Kwon Jae-seung?" called Professor Wang.

"Present," responded Jason with a raised hand. "My friends just call me Jason."

Professor Wang lowered his glasses down his face, inspecting Jason through narrowed eyes.

"You have a great name, Mr. Kwon," said the professor. "You should wear it with pride."

"Thank you," said Jason, blushing. "My elders always tell me that but it's just easier for my English-speaking friends to call me Jason, you know."

"I am aware," said Professor Wang. "Would you care to demonstrate the lesson for us today?"

Jason looked at Adam and Ganesh, confused.

"The lesson hasn't even started," said Ganesh.

"But it has, Mr. Rao," said Professor Wang. "You bore witness to tension, an integral part of this class. For every positive in life, there is a negative. This is the basis of Taoism: yin and yang."

Professor Wang passed out parchments. Jason adhered the parchment to his grimoire. He inspected the parchment which had an illustration of the Taoist thunder god, Lei Gong, with a mantra written in Chinese calligraphy.

"You see," he said. "I chose to focus on a name for a reason. It is not just a word—it is an identity. This mantra presented before you is just a starting point. You may come up with one of your own. It may be in a real spoken language or it can be utter nonsense. All that matters is that it makes sense to you."

Professor Wang walked over to a drawing on the blackboard he made of a hand formation. The hands were clasped together, the fingers mimicking a trident.

"We're supposed to do that?" asked Adam.

"Yes," replied Professor Wang. "After you recite your own personal mantra, you will be able to harness the devastating power of lightning through Thunder Rites."

The students all attempted to clasp their hands together and replicate the drawing. Adam and Ganesh were struggling.

"This is harder than it looks," said Ganesh.

"It's like this," said Jason, doing it perfectly. "I can't think of a mantra, though."

"Don't overthink it," said Professor Wang. "Thunder Rites in Taoism are still enigmatic to some of the most experienced wizards. Your own personal mantra might even come to your consciousness when you least expect it."

Jason didn't entirely understand this, but he kept it in mind.

At the Witching Hour, Nina got up out of bed and snuck through the halls to the familiar spot on the wall in the hall. Nina was puzzled, only seeing Erin and Chris there.

"Where's Jason?" asked Nina.

"I don't know," said Chris, texting furiously on his phone. "He knows that we have to meet here on the dot every night."

Suddenly, two people stumbled out of a closet door at the end of the hall. Nina, Erin and Chris could feel their hearts drop to their stomachs—they were about to be found out! The three of them approached the two people precariously, finding that it was Keahu on top of Jason.

"Um," said Erin. "What the hell is going on here on this day?"

Nina and Chris looked at one another, completely awestruck by this compromising position in which Jason and Keahu found themselves.

"Nothing!" said Jason, his face flushed and hair tousled messily.

"I wouldn't call what we did nothing," said Keahu. This made Jason's face turn even redder.

"We'll talk later, Keahu," said Jason.

"Where are you guys off to, by the way?" asked Keahu.

"Nowhere," said Erin. "I suggest you be on your way in case my dad finds you and gets you in trouble."

"All right," said Keahu with a sly smile on his face. "I can tell when I'm not wanted. See you tomorrow, Jason."

Keahu winked at Jason before walking away, enshrouding himself in the shadows until he disappeared out of sight. Jason looked like he wanted to disapparate to a different country to avoid this mortifying situation.

The four students didn't utter a single word on the way to their usual spot. Jason tapped the wall with the secret code and the wall parted in two. Merlin was not there.

"Where'd he go?" said Chris.

"I'm right here," said Merlin.

His specter crept into the light from the dark void, just as ghoulie ghoulie as ever.

"Why were you out in the darkness?" said Erin.

"I wanted to make a dramatic entrance today," said Merlin. "So you've prepared for your battle tonight?"

"Yup," said Nina. "It's gonna be Andros with a test of strength. We've got this."

Nina held up the strength potion.

"Good luck," said Merlin.

All four students walked over to the pad. There was an incredibly awkward tension between the four of them. Erin took the leap of faith to break the ice and turned to Jason.

"So," said Erin slowly. "Are you, like… bisexual or something?"

"Shut up and let's go!" said Jason, his voice cracking.

Merlin's head tilted in confusion, seeing the four students as they descended through the pad.

Their feet landed on sand. The four students looked around and found themselves in what looked like Rome. They were in the center of the Colosseum looking out at a crowd of cheering spectators.

"One of you will be my opponent," said Andros. "Who is brave enough to step forward?"

"I will!" said Nina, stepping forward triumphantly.

"The most able-bodied man," said Andros, correcting himself.

"Sexist," said Nina, insulted.

"You, boy!" said Andros.

He pointed at Jason who was partially hidden behind Nina, Erin and Chris.

"Me?" asked Jason, slightly nervous. "I… What exactly is a duel here?"

"It is quite simple," said Andros. "We duel… to the death!"

This earned a cheerful roar from the spectators, who were making a raucous on their feet for their undisputed champion.

"To be exact," said Chris. "Wizard duels in Ancient Rome consisted of three rounds: a challenge of endurance, a display of strength, and lastly, a battle of magic might… to the death."

"You are correct, tiny one," said Andros, making Chris give him the side eye. "Now let us prepare."

Andros began taking off the cloth from his shoulder, disrobing in broad daylight.

"W-What are you doing?!" yelled Jason.

"Is there an issue?" asked Andros, readjusting his toga. "It is customary that we Romans duel in the nude."

Jason's face turned red, stammering uncontrollably. Erin teasingly nudged Jason in the rib.

"You better give us a show, Magic Mike," said Erin, throwing imaginary dollar bills at Jason. "Let me make it rain on ya!"

"Let's just get to the first round," said Chris, rubbing his temples. "Without any naked people, please."

"Your methods are strange, children," said Andros. "But I shall respect them, I suppose."

Andros took his stance behind the marking in the ground with Jason doing the same—this was clearly a running challenge. Nina stood between the two wizards.

"On your marks," she said. "Get set… go!"

Off went Andros and Jason. They ran towards multiple objects that threatened to trip them up, but they both held steady with Andros in the lead. Jason was about to pull his wand out to apprehend Andros but then he heard someone yelling from behind.

"No magic this round!" shouted Chris, prompting Jason to return his wand to his pocket.

Jason was frustrated with this. Andros was in the lead by a large margin at this point, so Jason accepted defeat. Andros finished the lap to the excited cheers of the crowd as Jason followed behind, heaving.

"First round is mine," said Andros, breathing evenly and without any semblance of sweat.

"What's the point of these first challenges again?" asked Jason.

"The two of you will be labored by the final challenge," explained Chris.

"So that way there will be more of an even playing field?" asked Erin, earning a nod from Chris in return. "Makes sense."

"Onto the next challenge," said Nina. "Strength."

Nina demonstrates two giant stone heads, one fashioned after a man and one after a woman.

"These are the god and goddess of war," said Chris. "Ares and Artemis. Now, before we begin this challenge, how about we drink some water?"

"Yes," said Nina who held a goblet in hand. "_Aguamenti_."

The goblet filled with water and she handed it to Andros who accepted it gladly.

"You brought your own drink, Jason," said Nina, making sure Andros didn't suspect anything. "Remember?"

A lightbulb went off in Jason's head: the Strengthening Potion! He retrieved the potion from his pocket and drank it as if his life depended on it… which it did.

"My might is unmatched," bragged Andros. "You may as well forfeit now, boy."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Jason.

"Get set," said Nina, giving Jason a knowing smile. "Go!"

Jason and Andros assumed a wrestling position.

"Do you think Jason is enjoying this?" asked Erin, making Chris' eyes widen.

"If you keep talking about this, he'll kill us," said Chris.

"Let me keep it cute then," said Erin. "Looking good, Jason!"

Jason rolled his eyes at Erin. He continued wrestling with Andros on the ground, getting mud all over his clothing. Andros held him in a headlock.

"Shit," said Jason, the blaring sun making him squint.

"Give up now, boy," said Andros. "It'll be easier this way."

In the blink of an eye, Jason wiggled out of the headlock and pinned Andros to the ground in a sudden show of superhuman strength.

"Are you using some form of deception?" asked Andros. "You were a mere weakling a second ago."

"Now I'm a mere winner," said Jason.

"Not so fast," said Nina. "Now you're tied. The final challenge shows who's the real winner."

"Ah, yes," said Andros. "Sudden death… for you that is, boy."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Jason, getting back up on his feet.

Nina walked over to Jason with Erin and Chris behind her, giving him an actual goblet of water this time. Jason drank it gladly, feeling fatigued from the challenges already.

"Keep your head in the game," said Erin, "Especially with that hunk of man all over you."

"We went over this, Erin," said Chris.

Jason chose to ignore Erin, turning to Nina for any advice she might have for him.

"Do you have any wild card in your pocket for the third challenge?" asked Nina.

"I thought you did!" said Jason.

"Calm down," said Chris. "Andros probably only knows ancient magic. Our spells now must be considerably more advanced, so you should be able to take him easily."

Jason retrieved his wand from Chris, thinking over his possible strategy. Perhaps Chris was right and Andros wouldn't put up much of a fight.

"Come on, dear boy," shouted Andros. "It is here where we finally demonstrate who has the most magic might."

"Game on, Andros the Not-So-Invincible," said Jason.

Andros laughed haughtily. He and Jason then assumed their dueling stances, wands at the ready. Nina stood between the two of them.

"Get ready," she yelled, Jason's heart beating faster with every passing word. "Get set… go!"

Andros wasted no time, performing a quick wand movement.

"_Igneus Nodus_!" shouted Andros.

This spell summoned large, flaming rocks which hailed from the sky and onto the arena. Jason did his best to avoid these rocks, casting _Protego_ to make them ricochet away from him.

"What the hell was that?!" said Jason.

"It's some kind of ancient spell!" said Chris.

"I thought you said their magic was primitive!" said Jason.

"We all make mistakes," said Erin. "Now watch out!"

Jason looked back to Andros who was charging towards him. Jason was able to roll out of the way.

"_Flipendo_!" said Jason, knocking Andros off his feet and onto the ground.

"That's it, petulant child!" said Andros. "_Supercella!_"

An ominous cloud formation covered the sun overhead. Loud thunder strikes could be heard from the sky.

"Thunder Rites," said Jason to himself. "Thunder Rites… mantra… I have to think of a mantra."

Jason took cover behind another _Protego_ spell while he thought long and hard about his next move.

"What the hell are you doing?!" shouted Nina. "Jason, he's gonna win!"

"No, he won't," said Jason, clasping his hands into the trident formation that he learned in Taoism class. He bellowed the following mantra from the depths of his soul: "_Tonitrus Canere_!"

Suddenly, an incredibly forceful ball of lightning shot from the tips of Jason's middle fingers, burning Andros to a crisp. The colosseum spectators, as well as Jason's friends, watched with their mouths agape.

"Oh my god," said Jason, his friends surrounding him in support. "It worked."

"You've won, my dear boy!" said Andros, covered in soot. He coughed up puffs of smoke.

"How are you still alive?" asked Erin, remembering the ridiculousness of being here in the first place. "You know what, never mind."

"They call me Andros the Invincible for a reason," said Andros. "But you, young Jason, have displayed a great sense of magic might. I foresee you will become a great sorcerer one day."

"Thank you," said Jason before being swept up off his feet by Andros.

"This is your new champion," said Andros, holding Jason up effortlessly as if he weighed nothing at all. "Cheers for Jason!"

The spectators roared in unison, showing Jason their approval. This brought a smile to his face. Andros put Jason back down on the ground, accompanied by his friends.

"Where did you learn that spell anyway?" asked Chris.

"You're gonna think I'm crazy," said Jason. "So in my Taoism class, we were learning about this thing called Thunder Rites and how we can harness the power of lightning through a mantra, and it just so happened that I found my mantra from Octopath Traveler."

"Octopath Traveler?" asked Nina. "That was a spell from a video game?!"

"Yup," said Jason. "I was just as surprised as everyone else."

"Looks like Hercules over there is about to go bye-bye," said Erin

She pointed at Andros who burst into a cloud of bright light, leaving only a Famous Wizard Card behind that flew onto Jason's hand.

"Looks like we can go back now," said Nina.

Right then, the four students felt themselves floating upwards, returning to the hub.

"You are back," said Merlin.

"Yes," said Chris. "And fully clothed."

"I beg your pardon?" said Merlin, shocked.

"We were in Ancient Rome," explained Nina.

"Oh," said Merlin, chuckling. "Those Romans and their unique customs."

"Even though these missions are dangerous," said Erin. "It's kind of like going on a destination vacation every night… or day… or whatever it is."

"I gotta go take a shower," said Jason, feeling gross from all the mud and sand on his clothes.

"You gonna take a shower alone?" asked Erin.

"Goodbye!" said Jason, having had enough of the relentless teasing for the night.

"I love you equally no matter what, too!" said Erin. "See you tomorrow, stud!"

Jason was the first to walk out of the hub while Nina and Chris looked judgmentally at Erin.

"Way to play it subtle," said Nina. "Let's try not to bring it up for a while now."

"Yeah, yeah," said Erin. "Jeez. Y'all need to lighten up."

Nina, Erin and Chris split up in the hallway, heading off their respective ways. Nina and Erin arrived in the Thunderbird commons and walked quietly into their dorm room. They plopped down onto their beds.

"I can't believe what happened tonight," said Nina. "Who would have thought… Erin?"

Erin was already snoring. Nina looked at her pillow with a sense of dread washing over her. What was it going to be this time? Nina let sleep deprivation kick in and lost consciousness.

Then she opened her eyes, seeing that she was in a coffin-shaped seat. All around her she saw staircases going every which way. They were upside down, coming from the walls, and turning at impossible angles.

The coffin took her to a graveyard and swiveled to face her towards it. Rows upon rows of headstones stretched back into infinity. (List of names). Nina recognized them as the names of real family members. She leaned closer to read it better. A horrific, ghostly figure popped up from behind, scaring Nina back into her seat.

The coffin then took her to a scene of a funeral. A group of mourners were gathered around a grave.

"He will be missed," said an animatronic mourner as she put a handkerchief to her eye.

A door behind them opened. There was an axe-wielding animatronic. He stiffly went around swinging the plastic axe at them. Each mourner robotically tipped over, laying flat on the floor. After the axe man's rampage was over, grave in the middle opened and a rotting green animatronic arm reached up from within.

Before Nina could see any further, her own coffin vehicle pushed her over to the next room. Before her was an endless hallway with locked doors on either side occasionally bumping and threatening to open. The vehicle stopped and all the lights went down.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience," said the robot announcer. "Please stay seated while we work on repairing the ride."

"Fuck that," said Nina.

She pushed her lap bar open and got out of her coffin. With the lights down, it was much harder to see. She ran as fast as she could, hearing all the growlings and bumps on the door. Her feet slowed from exhaustion and she heaved to catch her breath.

She crumpled into a crying heap on the floor when a nearby door opened up. Nina turned around and saw a deathly pale well-dressed man approach her. She tensed up but relaxed when she saw that he wasn't hostile. He walked closer to her and embraced her. She hugged him back. He pressed his lips to her neck, then Nina felt a stinging pain.

"I can taste him," said the man with a thick Romanian accent. "Yes, the blood of… Salazar Slytherin!"

Nina could see her own horror-struck face in the reflection of the man's eyes. She pulled away from him and reached for the wound. Inside the man's mouth were sharp, vampiric teeth. Nina felt the poison enter her bloodstream, making her light headed until she fell on the floor. The last thing she remembered seeing was the bloodied face of the animatronic vampire.


	7. Symphony of the Light

_November 6, 2019_

In the Thunderbird dorm rooms this morning, Erin was putting on makeup when Nina woke up clutching her neck. This startled Erin, making her smudge lipstick on her face.

"What is it this time?" said Erin, wiping the excess lipstick off her face with a micellar water towelette.

"I was bitten by a vampire!" said Nina, struggling to remain calm. "Isn't there, like, some kind of magic Nyquil or Xanax I can take, or something?"

"Chill," said Erin. "Remember that we have that voodoo class with Professor Beauchamp today? Duchess said that Beauchamp would know something about keeping nightmares at bay."

"Oh," said Nina "Is that why you're doing your makeup?"

"Yeah," said Erin. "And judging by those bags under your eyes, you should too, sis. Watch a video of your twin Antonio Garza. You could use a few tips."

Nina pulled her phone out and looked at her face on the camera. She was none too pleased with what she saw.

"These dreams have got me all the way fucked up," said Nina. "And hey… how did you know about me and Antonio Garza?"

Erin laughed, pulling up her Instagram to show a side-by-side photo of Antonio and Nina.

"People all over school know about it," said Erin. "They stay making memes saying you two are the same person."

"Hmm," mumbled Nina.

She placed a mirror on her bedside table drawer and proceeded to follow one of Antonio Garza's videos. After following the tutorial, Nina looked like she had a full night's rest and was ready to take on the rest of the day… even though she felt like she was hit by a bus.

"Oh my god," said Erin. "It's you."

"Yes, ho, it's me," said Nina, trying her best to imitate Antonio's voice. "And I think it's time we show these Ilvermorny bitches what's good."

The sun was bright and shining through the windows in the hallways of Ilvermorny castle. Those rays shone right onto Chris and Professor Harris. Students were busily walking by them as they held a conversation.

"So if I were up against a centaur," said Chris. "Which spell would be most effective against one?"

"That's a tough one," said Professor Harris. "It would depend on a multitude of factors like the season and the size of the centaur, but I believe the Confundus Charm would give you enough time to run away from it."

Erin and Nina were walking to class when Erin spotted Chris talking to her dad.

"What is he up to this time?" asked Nina. "I swear, he's always two steps away from blowing our cover."

"Stay here," said Erin, walking up to them by herself. "Oh, hey, Chris. Hi, dad. What's going on here?"

"Chris is asking me about defensive magic," said Professor Harris. "Actually, why are you asking me about that, Chris? You're not planning on seeing these creatures, are you?"

"Oh, look," said Erin quickly. "We're gonna be late to Herbology. See ya later, dad. Bye!"

Erin pulled Chris by the arm and rejoined Nina, hastily walking away from Erin's father. Professor Harris was confused by their urgency but he was always confused by Erin so he didn't think much of it.

"You've got to be more discreet," said Nina.

"Do you know what would happen if my dad found out we were fighting evil every night?" asked Erin. "I would get grounded for a week—maybe even two weeks!"

"Sorry," said Chris. "But these missions are no joke. We're going to need all the information we can get, even if it means asking 'daddy dearest.'"

"Stop harassing my dad," said Erin. "He's too smart for us. Plus, after this is done, I'll have to pick up the pieces."

"Let's hurry before we attract any more attention," said Nina, leading her two friends through the crowded halls.

A little while later, a group of students were in the greenhouse. Amongst them were Nina, Mei-Ling, Erin and Chris. They awaited the lecture from the Herbology professor.

Professor Michelle Okonkwo, a Nigerian woman in her early forties, passed out the lesson's parchments to every student. She wore her hair in braids put up into a bun and had a graceful physique. The parchment she passed out had a moving illustration of a plant growing at a dramatic rate only to shrink in size and do the same thing over again. Nina placed the parchment in her grimoire. It attached itself to the spine with a warm, yellow glow and looked like just another page in the book.

"Today's class is going to be a nice change of pace," said Professor Okonkwo. "We're going to try a spell to make these plants grow tall. Move your wand like this and say, '_Herbivicus_.'"

Erin and Chris paired up while Nina and Mei-Ling got together. Sitting before them was a flower pot containing a Fanged Geranium.

"_Herbivicus_!" said Chris.

The Fanged Geranium grew a couple inches before shrinking back to its original size. Chris groaned at his failure.

"Move over, piggy," said Erin. "I've got this."

"Don't call me 'piggy,'" said Chris.

"_Herbivicus_!" said Erin.

As she recited the incantation, the plant grew to twice its size and stayed that way.

"Great job, Erin," said Professor Okonkwo. "Twenty points to Thunderbird."

"Beginner's luck," grumbled Chris.

Nina and Mei-Ling looked at the Fanged Geranium before them with fear in their eyes.

"I hope it doesn't try to attack us like the last plant did," said Mei-ling.

"There's only one way to find out," said Nina. "_Herbivicus_!"

Shockingly enough, nothing happened. Nina looked both bewildered and annoyed.

"I'll give it a try," said Mei-Ling. "_Herbivicus_!"

Once again, nothing happened. Nina got up from her seat, looking to Mei-Ling with a fire in her eyes.

"Have children's movies taught us nothing, Mei-Ling?" asked Nina. "We have to work together. Help me out."

They both aimed their wands at the plant and recited the spell once more. Finally, the plant grew.

"Great work, Ms. Blake and Ms. Wang!" said Professor Okonwko excitedly. "Another twenty points to Thunderbird."

Nina smiled broadly in Chris' face, who grunted haughtily and crossed his arms.

"I thought Horned Serpents were supposed to be the smart ones," said Nina, taunting Chris as if he were her little brother.

"Yada yada," retorted Chris. "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."

"And I oop!" said Erin.

The class continued with its lesson, with students achieving the spell to varying degrees and experimenting as instructed by Professor Okonkwo.

During study hall, Jason was at a Wizard Card Collectors' Club meeting in the Potions classroom. He was seated with his friends Adam and Ganesh, having a nice time until the conversation took a turn.

"You've been acting very strangely, Jason," said Ganesh. "Is something wrong?"

"You're so different," said Adam. "You've been acting weird ever since Halloween. What's been going on?"

"Nothing is going on," said Jason defensively. "Why is everyone all of a sudden jumping down my throat?"

"We're not trying to be mean," said Ganesh. "But like… why do you still not have any cards? At this point, what are you even doing here?"

"Does it have anything to do with you going out late at night?" said Adam.

"No," said Jason, starting to sweat. "I don't know what you're talking about"

"It's not just us who have noticed this," said Ganesh. "People have been talking. Right, Professor Bennett?"

"Well, there have been sightings of students roaming the halls past curfew." said Professor Bennett.

"I've seen Chris out late as well," said Ganesh. "For some reason, I've seen him in the Horned Serpent commons sneaking around really late at night while all of us are sleeping."

"I don't have time for this," said Jason, finally having had enough. "I've gotta go. Sorry, Professor Bennett."

Before the professor could say anything, Jason stormed out of the room in a huff. Something clearly struck a nerve.

"I told you he would act weird," said Adam

"Yeah, but something doesn't feel right," said Ganesh. "He wouldn't do something out of the ordinary unless he absolutely had to."

When Jason walked into the vacant hallway, he could feel his heart pounding out of his chest. They were so close to catching onto him. He knew they would figure it out if he stayed there any longer. The murmurs of his classmates echoed in Jason's mind as he walked down the hall.

On the second floor, Nina and Erin entered their Haitian Vodou class. The room had a New Orleans voodoo shrine flair. Cauldrons were propped up on the desks and different poppets lined the walls. Totems and amulets were interspersed around the room as decorations.

"Hey," said Duchess. "Over here."

Duchess beckoned them to come over. Duchess, Nina and Erin sat together at the front of the class.

"I told Professor Beauchamp about your situation," said Duchess. "And she made a lesson plan over it."

"That's so cool," said Nina.

A dark-skinned Hatian woman with a halo of an Afro got up from behind the front desk.

"This next lesson is for anyone haunted by nightmares," said The Hatian Vodou teacher, Professor Fifi Beauchamp.

The parchment she handed out had a diagram of all the pieces that made a poppet. The head, torso, arms, and legs were all numbered and labeled with the corresponding material for each one.

Nina placed the parchment in her grimoire. It attached itself to the spine with a warm, yellow glow and looked like just another page in the book.

"Grab your materials, everyone," said Professor Beauchamp. "It's time to make your poppets. A poppet is an enchanted item intended to be used as protection from negative energy."

Professor Beauchamp handed out the poppet materials. Cotton, wool, buttons, and yarn.

"You must use something of yours that you hold dearly," said Professor Beauchamp. "And infuse it with your poppet."

"Like what?" asked Duchess.

"Typically," said Professor Beauchamp. "We use a lock of hair."

"But I don't wanna pull my hair out," said Nina.

"Me neither," said Erin. "Then we'll have to pull one out from each other."

Nina and Erin tentatively took hold of a strand each other's hair and at the count of three, they yanked the strand out.

"Ouch!" said Nina.

"Okay," said Erin. "Now that we've made the ultimate sacrifice, let's get to the poppet making."

The students begin to sew and create their very own, unique poppets. Some students had better crafting skills, and naturally, some students were having a hard time with this lesson. After completing their individual poppets, Nina, Erin and Duchess compared their creations.

"My poppet's arm looks weird," said Nina, holding up a poppet with a yellow tie around its neck. Its left arm was considerably longer than its right.

"And mine looks...," said Erin, holding up her poppet with a green tie around its neck. Its right leg looked like a turkey leg. "Well… he could lose a few pounds."

"What about mine?" asked Duchess. Her poppet had an adorable knit sweater made out of red yarn, making it look like a gingerbread man.

"It looks perfect," said Nina and Erin in unison, slightly annoyed.

"How are you so good at this anyway?" asked Erin.

"Back in Trinidad," said Duchess. "We have a big voodoo practicing population. My great aunt practiced voodoo and she taught me some."

"It's not about perfection," said Professor Beauchamp. "It's about protection."

"I guess it's a good thing my poppet is ugly then," said Nina. "It'll scare away the nightmares."

"Girl," said Erin. "If your face didn't scare the nightmares away… we gon' have to pray."

Duchess and Nina laughed, making Erin feel good about herself. Erin had the ability to act silly in any situation.

"Don't worry," said Professor Beauchamp, walking up to the three girls. "Your poppet will prove to be very useful, especially because you created it."

"I hope so," said Nina, looking at her misshapen little creation. "He looks kind of cute."

Duchess and Erin chatted with each other, allowing Nina to get lost in her own thoughts until the class ended. _This poppet has to work_, thought Nina to herself.

At the Witching Hour, the four students all got out of bed. They went to the typical spot on the wall in the hall and Jason tapped the secret code. The wall split in two and slid apart, allowing them access to the hub.

"Good evening, children," said Merlin. "What is it you have there?"

"These?" said Nina, holding up her poppet and pointing at Erin's poppet. "They're voodoo poppets for our protection."

"And you didn't make any for us?" said Chris with Jason nodding in agreement.

"Sorry," said Erin. "It's everybody for themselves."

"You would also have to make them on your own," said Nina. "They are supposed to be infused with your soul, so we can't make them for you."

"And we all know you've got no soul, baby," said Erin.

Chris crossed his arms and pouted childishly. Between his encounter with Professor Harris and his struggle in Herbology class, he couldn't catch a break today.

"Come on, guys," said Jason.

The four students stood on the newly lit pad and descended through it. Their feet clanked against a stone floor. They looked around and were horrified to find that they were in a castle on a dark, stormy night.

"This is so cliché," complained Chris.

"Who intrudes upon my castle?" said a booming voice.

This voice shook everyone to their core. Chris ducked and hid behind Nina, shaking in fear.

"We're the Sacred Quartet," said Nina. "And we came here to kick your ass!"

The booming voice laughed at them. Each laugh echoed down the halls, sending shivers down the four students' spines. From the darkness of the hall, a mysterious person stepped forward into the light of the moon.

The source of the voice was a statuesque man with broad shoulders and a slim figure. He was so gaunt that he looked as though he hadn't eaten in years. He wore a black cape with deep, red lining over his shoulder and underneath, he wore a Victorian tuxedo.

"Those are some strong words for such small children," he said. "Since you've so rudely broken into my castle, I propose a game. I challenge you four to kill me. However, you will have to find me first… you have one hour."

With a flip of his cape, the man dissipated into a shroud of bats. The four students ducked under the onslaught of bats flying just inches above their heads. The bats flew away, seeking refuge in the darkness of the hall.

"Couldn't we just play a game of Go Fish to the death?" said Erin.

"You heard the vampire," said Nina. "His game, his rules."

The four students took notice of the castle's walls around them. Everything seemed infinitely more sinister than before, from the swinging chandeliers, grotesque Gothic paintings on the wall, or the massive downpour beating heavily on the windows—this castle was something out of a horror movie.

"This place has so many twists and turns," said Jason. "How will we know where to go?"

"I've got it!" said Chris.

This surprised Nina, Jason and Erin. Out of all people, Chris was the least likely to enjoy a haunted castle.

"It's like Castlevania," explained Chris. "It's all about exploration and marking your progress. Not to mention killing monsters. Let's do this!"

They embarked on their journey. At every room and every turn, Chris just seemed to know exactly what to do.

When a room had an axe, he used it in another room to break open a wall with a crack in it that had a secret passageway. When he found a large bell on the floor of one room, he used it as an air bubble in the lake underneath the castle where he found an essential key that had a small vial of poison on its keychain. They then used the poison later when they were confronted with a three-headed monstrosity.

They continued like this until they got to a dead end. It was a room with a staircase above them leading to what they assumed was an attic. They were all stumped.

"Why are there stairs on the ceiling?" asked Jason.

Chris thought about this very hard. What use could a staircase on the ceiling have? That was when it hit him.

"Oh my god!" said Chris. "We have to turn the castle upside down."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" said Erin. "It's not like we can just flip it."

"Do you remember that gear we saw a couple rooms back?" said Chris. "I think we have to turn it."

They went to the room Chris mentioned and found the golden gear. Jason and Chris started turning it clockwise. With each turn, the room continuously shifted a bit. At some point, Jason and Chris were hanging onto the gear with their feet off the ground as Erin and Nina were forced to crawl on the floor and walls. Eventually, the room was completely upside down and the ceiling was now the floor.

"That was weird," said Nina. "But no time to question it; our hour is almost up."

They ran to the room with the staircase which was on the ground this time. One by one, they stepped down into the final room of their adventure. They heard rattling chains and heavy breathing. When they all stepped into the room, the scene became clear to them all.

"Help!" said a chained man in tattered, regal attire. "Vlad Drakul has kept me imprisoned here for years, siphoning me of my riches and killing me slowly!"

"Don't worry," said Nina. "We'll help—"

Nina ran to him but Chris stuck his arm out to stop her from making a mistake.

"You can't fool me, Vlad Drakul," said Chris. "Show yourself!"

The man in regal attire dissipated into bats and reappeared as the cape-wearing vampire from before.

Nina threw holy water at Vlad's feet. Fire rose up from the puddle. Erin threw a holy cross up into the air and it spun around them, creating an invisible force field protecting them from evil. Chris pointed his wand straight at the vampire's face.

"The hour is up for you," shouted Chris. "_Lumos Solem_!"

Vlad Drakul screamed as his body sizzled. In the flash of bright light, he was reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes. The holy water's fire faded away and the cross stopped spinning, falling into Erin's hand.

Erin sifted through the ashes with the cross and found the Famous Wizard Card with Vlad Drakul's face in it. She picked it up with her thumb and index finger, thoroughly disgusted.

"Ew, ew, ew," said Erin. "Here, Jason. You take it."

Jason pocketed the card. With one last flash of lightning, the rain stopped and the sun slowly rose on the horizon from the East. The four students felt themselves become light and float upwards.

They phased through the pad and were teleported back into the hub before a curious Merlin.

"How was your visit?" said Merlin.

"It was awesome!" said Chris.

"That's the spirit!" said Merlin. "But your adventure is soon coming to an end. With the seventh card, you will finally be able to see what Salazar has been planning for you."

All of them looked at the seventh pad from the left. It was the last one, having an eerie aura about it.

"It only makes sense that we end this considering we started it," said Jason, earning an annoyed look from Nina. "By mistake, of course."

"I am so proud of you four," said Merlin. "You've proven yourselves as worthy spellcasters. You've taken on some of the strongest and most sinister wizards of all time and it is now almost over. Take these experiences with you long after you've graduated and they will tie you together forever."

"I know this has been a nightmare, literally and figuratively," said Nina. "But I'm going to miss having these secret adventures."

On that note, they all left the hub and went to their separate dorm rooms. Nina went to bed with a bittersweet feeling.

When Nina opened her eyes, she found herself seated on a rollercoaster. It looked like a long, green snake with each car making up part of its tail except for the one at the very front which was its head. The over-the-shoulder restraints came down from above, fastening Nina against her seat. She saw that Merlin was seated next to her.

"I've been waiting for this," said Merlin with subdued excitement.

"I don't like rollercoasters," said Nina. "They make me queasy."

The coaster started rolling on the track and Nina held tight onto the handlebars of her shoulder restraints. The rollercoaster was indoors, so it was in almost complete darkness; Nina could only see the cars of the train a few feet in front of her. The train gently turned left and started its slow ascent up the lift hill.

Nina hated this part the most. The anticipation of the chaos to come was overwhelming. She closed her eyes out of fear but opened them every now and then to check how far up they were. The rollercoaster finally reached the apex of the hill, becoming horizontal again.

"This is it!" said Merlin.

The first few moments of the drop, Nina felt like she was floating in midair. Then came the violent drop to the bottom. Merlin was shouting in excitement while Nina was screaming her lungs out. The train made a banked left turn that went up and led into an inversion. The train hopped up and down on the couple of bunny hills, spun through a corkscrew, and then slowed down.

"Thank God it's over," sighed Nina.

She opened her eyes and saw a huge drop going down several hundred feet.

"How deep is this place!?" said Nina.

The snake started its speedy descent. Nina could feel the skin of her cheeks being forced back by the velocity. Rainbow-colored fireworks sprang up from either side of her at certain points of the drop and they were so close that they threatened to burn her. At the bottom, the coaster came back up. Nina was now facing the ceiling, which had sprouted fire. Nina came closer and closer to the fire, feeling the intense heat radiating from it.

Just before she collided with the ceiling, the coaster made a hammerhead turn back down to the ground. It came to a helix that kept circling around itself seemingly endlessly. The snake head of the rollercoaster derailed and headed straight for Nina, swallowing her whole.


End file.
